Raung is a stratovolcano located in Indonesia, standing at an elevation of 3,260 meters within a subduction zone and continental crust tectonic setting (greater than 25 km depth). Official historical records from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program document a total of 70 confirmed eruptions for the volcano, with activity spanning from the 16th century CE to the 21st century CE.
The earliest recorded eruption in the official database began in 1593 CE and reached a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 5.0. Across the entire historical record, 68 eruptions have associated VEI observations, reaching a maximum recorded VEI of 5.0. Recent activity includes a confirmed eruption starting on March 13, 2025 CE, and ending on July 11, 2025 CE.
Chronological Distribution of Eruptions
Historical eruptions at Raung are distributed across multiple centuries, with documentation becoming more frequent in later centuries. The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program records the frequency of confirmed eruptions by century as follows:
- 16th century CE: 2 eruptions
- 17th century CE: 1 eruption
- 18th century CE: 2 eruptions
- 19th century CE: 14 eruptions
- 20th century CE: 40 eruptions
- 21st century CE: 11 eruptions
Notable Historical Eruption Examples
While the complete record contains 70 eruptions, individual entries illustrate the range of documented activity over the centuries:
- 1593 CE: An early reported observation with a VEI of 5.0.
- August 16, 1896 CE: A reported observation with a VEI of 2.0.
- July 2, 1940 CE: A reported observation with a VEI of 2.0.
- September 10, 1991 CE to November 12, 1991 CE: A reported observation spanning two months with a VEI of 2.0.
- March 13, 2025 CE to July 11, 2025 CE: A reported observation with a VEI of 2.0.
Image credits
- Pvmbg — Wikimedia Commons source — CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources and further context
Official datasets support the event-specific facts.