Indonesia has the highest number of active volcanoes of any country in the world.
Several hours of fiery activity from Sulawesi Island’s Soputan volcano convinced Indonesian vulcanologists to raise the eruption warning level to the third-highest on a four-level scale.
Lava was not expected to threaten any of those living on the 5,995-foot mountain’s slopes, or the nearest village about 5 miles from the summit crater.
A new lava dome has been building at Soputan’s peak since a major eruption rocked the island in 1991.
The greatest danger in the future is from lava and searing pyroclastic clouds of debris that could rush down the mountain’s flanks.
Soputan is one of the most active of Indonesia’s 155 centers of active volcanism.
In the past two years, at least three major volcanoes, including Anak Krakatau, have showed signs of increased activity, but none have caused any fatalities or significant damage.
Photo: North Sulawesi Tourism Promotion Board