Volcano Live

Pantar Island, Indonesia

8.51 S, 124.14 E
summit elevation 862 m
complex volcano

Sirung volcano in located on Pantar Island, 77 km north of the island of Timor. The volcano contains a 2 km wide caldera which contains occasional lakes. Gunung Sirung is a lava dome located on the caldera's western rim.

Sirung Boiling Springs
Fumaroles and boiling springs emerge within the large crater of Sirung volcano. The highly acid grey-coloured crater lake was bubbles from volcanic gas. These emerging within Sirung crater and have 6 times the Chlorine concentration of seawater. This is probably is the highest chlorine concentration found for a natural volcanic brine to date. Sirung Crater Lake is a typical high chloride-sulphate crater lake similar to
Kawah lien, Indonesia and Ruapehu Crater Lake, New Zealand.

Beangabang Bay Hot Springs
Hot springs are also located on the beach at Beangabang Bay, east of the crater. These springs are strongly contaminated with seawater.

2012 Eruption
A small ash eruption occurred at Sirung volcano on 8th May 2012. The eruption lasted for 3 hours and was accompanied by a burst of sound and incandescent material ejected 10m above the crater. Ashfall occurred 3.5 km north of the volcano to a depth of 4mm. The smell of sulphur detected 3km north of the crater. On 12th May 2012 the alert status at Sirung volcano was raised from level 2 (waspada) to level 3 siaga). A 2.5 km exclusion zone has been planed around the volcano.

2004 Eruption
Sirung began erupting "smoke and dust" around 13 May 2004. Sirung volcano erupted in 1987 after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake nearby.

1987 Earthquake
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit 22 km NE of the lava dome on 26th November 1987. A field trip to the volcano on 12th December showed a fresh landslide in the crater, but otherwise no unusual activity.

1934 Eruption
Eruptions occurred at Sirung volcano on 14-15 June 1934. A detonation was heard and the following morning the crater rim was white with ash deposits. On 16th June stones fell in Ilakalau village. On 17th June heavy clouds of smoke were discharged from the crater every 5-10 minutes. On 26th June, 30 m high fountains were observed at the crater.

Further reading
Bani, Philipon, et al. "First study of the heat and gas budget for Sirung volcano, Indonesia." Bulletin of Volcanology 79.8 (2017): 60.

Poorter, R. P. E., et al. "The Sirung volcanic boiling spring: an extreme chloride-rich, acid brine on Pantar (Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia)." Chemical geology 76.3-4 (1989): 215-228.