The eruption in the Ceramikan Suoh Crater, BMKG said, was not triggered by seismic activity

The Lampung Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said there was no seismic activity that triggered the eruption.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

Tourists enjoy the beauty of ceramics, one of the hot springs located in the utilization zone of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (TNBBS), Suoh District, West Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, at the end of November. The area is being developed into one of the special interest tourist destinations in TNBBS.

BANDAR LAMPUNG, KOMPAS — The eruption occurred in the ceramic crater area within the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park area in Sukamarga, Suoh District, West Lampung Regency, Lampung, Friday (24/ 5/2025), is not triggered by seismic activity.

Head of the North Lampung Class III Geophysical Station of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Sugeng Prayitno stated that the eruption that occurred around the Keramikan Suoh crater is not related to seismic activity. "There is no seismic activity recorded on the seismograph," said Sugeng when contacted from Bandar Lampung on Friday afternoon.

According to him, the Lampung Geophysics Station only recorded earthquake activity measuring 2.1 magnitude in Tanggamus Regency, Lampung, on Friday (24/5/2024) at 02.09 AM. The earthquake's epicenter was at a depth of 22 kilometers and 38 kilometers southwest of Tanggamus.

The earthquake is not related to the eruption that occurred in Suoh as it happened at a different time. Moreover, the strength of the earthquake is also small and its location is far from Suoh.

Previously, an eruption occurred around the Kramikan Suoh crater in West Lampung on Friday morning at around 08:30 AM WIB. At the time of the incident, a resident was in a garden near the location and recorded the incident with a device.

“The eruption made a loud noise and ejected sand and white smoke. "The smoke radius is up to half a kilometer," said Padang Head West Lampung BPBD Prio Utomo.

DOKUMENTASI BPBD LAMPUNG BARAT

A ceramic crater located in the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park area in Pekon Sukamarga, Suoh District, West Lampung Regency, Lampung, erupted accompanied by sand and thick smoke on Friday (24/5/2025).

According to him, the Suoh crater location is within a forest area and far from residential areas. Thus far, there have been no reports on the impacts caused by the eruption. However, the West Lampung Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) is urging residents around the area not to approach the eruption site.

"We urge residents not to approach or engage in activities around the Keramikan crater because we are concerned about possible secondary eruptions or other impacts, such as hot clouds or toxic gas," he said.

Also read: Suoh Has the Potential to Become a National Geopark

He added that the West Lampung BPBD has also deployed personnel to temporarily close access roads to the crater. The closure is done within a radius of 1 kilometer from the eruption site. This is done to prevent any residents from recklessly approaching the location.

As of Friday afternoon, there were no reports of subsequent eruptions from the crater. The crater is still emitting thin, white smoke.

Head of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Hendra Gunawan said a team from the Geological Agency would carry out an examination to determine the cause of the eruption in the Suoh Crater area in West Lampung. Based on the PVBMG team's examination via satellite imagery, the location of the eruption is 1 kilometer from the geothermal attraction Ceramikan Crater.

Hendra mentioned that from a preliminary analysis, the eruption was likely triggered by an increase in vapor pressure in the area of the geothermal tourist attraction. However, the team still needs to conduct further analysis regarding this matter.

KOMPAS/VINA OKTAVIA

A visitor takes a photo of Lebar Lake located in the utilization zone of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Suoh District, West Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, at the end of November. The lake is being developed into one of the special interest tourism destinations in TNBBS.

District Head Suoh Dapet Jakson stated that the Keramikan crater area was once managed by the community as a special interest tourist location. However, since the conflict between wildlife and humans occurred in the last three years, the location has not been visited by tourists.

Also read: Eruption at the Ceramikan Suoh Crater, West Lampung

The eruption is likely triggered by an increase in vapor pressure in the geothermal tourist area. However, the team still needs to conduct further analysis regarding this matter.