Volcano Live

Sangihe Islands, Indonesia

2.30 N, 125.37 E
summit elevation 725 m
Stratovolcano

Note: There is a volcano with a similar name Raung in east Java, Indonesia.

Ruang is the southernmost active volcano of the Sangihe Islands. The island is 5 km x 4 km and was known as a volcano since 1603. It rises 725 m above sea level and 1700 m above the ocean floor. Ruang has a small summit crater approximately 500 m in diameter and partially filled with the 1949 lava dome.

2024 Eruption
A high level eruption occurred ar Ruang volcano on 17 April 2024. Ash emissions reached 45,000 ft altitude and residents were evacuated from the area surrounding the volcano.

2002 Eruption
On 24th September 2002 there was an increase in seismicity at the volcano. The following day continuous ash emissions occurred at the volcano, causing about 1000 residents of Laimpatehi and Pompente villages evacuated to a nearby island. Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre reported ash rising to an altitude of 17 km. Eruptions finished by 30th September. The eruption site was presumed to be either Crater II, or the site where the 1949 lava originated (E side of summit).

1996 Eruption
A Qantas Airlines crew reported an eruption around 1600 hr on 27th June 1996. A plume moved west and reached an altitude of about 6000 m.

1949 Eruption
An explosive eruption occurred in January 1949, producing lava flows and a lava dome.

1871 Eruption and Tsunami
A destructive tsunami with a height of 25 m occurred as a result of dome collapse and pyroclastic flow on 5th March 1871. The tsunami travelled 180 m inland and caused 400 fatalities.

Report on 1871 eruption of Ruang volcano by Meyer in Nature 1871
The following note may be perhaps of interest for the readers of NATURE. March 2. The Volcano Roeang, near Tagoelanda, the most southern of the Sangi Islands in the North of Celebes, began to make noises. March 5th. In the evening, at seven o'clock, a frightful eruption took place; three minutes afterwards a large sea-wave reached the shore of Tagoelanda, about one mile distant from Roeang, and destroyed three villages with 416 men. The mountain worked till March 14, with a heavier final eruption. March 30. I was at the place and ascended the volcano, which is, according to my measurement, about 2,100 feet high. To proceed into the crater was impossible in consequence of the thick damps of sulphur. The temperature of the soil at the bottom of the mountain near the sea-shore some inches deep was 45° Reaumur. I brought home a large collection of stones; the masses thrown out were principally sulphur, ashes, sand, and mud, besides small and large stones, and even rocks. All details are contained in my diary. I then made a tour round the Sangi Islands, and am about at this moment to visit the isles of Bangka and Limbe in the north and east of North Celebes.

More on the 1871 eruption from book by Hedervari (1984)
1871 March 2-14 Ruang, Sangihe Islands. A strong explosive eruption from the central crater, devastation of arable lands, and casualties were reported. Three great tsunami-waves came from the sea, owing to the mighty landslide from the top of the mount; the soil and the rocks had rolled into the water. It penetrated 180 or 200 m inland on Palau Tahalandang at the town of Buhias. Three villages were completely destroyed and 460 persons lost their lives (Heck 1947, Berninghausen 1969). The tsunami magnitude was assigned as about 4 (Iida et al. 1972). This great tsunami took place on March 5 and accompanied one of the outbursts of Ruang.

Further reading
Hedervari 1984, Catalog of submarine volcanoes and hydrological phenomena associated with volcanic events, 1500 BC to December 31, 1899

Morrice, M. G., et al. An introduction to the Sangihe arc: Volcanism accompanying arc arc collision in the Molucca Sea, Indonesia.Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research19.1-2 (1983): 135-165.

Rampengan, M.M.F., Boedhihartono, A.K., Law, L. et al. Capacities in Facing Natural Hazards: A Small Island Perspective. Int J Disaster Risk Sci 5, 247–264 (2014).

Soloviev S, Go CN (1974) Catalog of tsunamis in western coast of the Pacific Ocean. Academy of Sciences, USSR, Izdat Nauka p 1–130