Fact Check: Did Mount Ibu's Eruption Trigger the NTT Earthquake?
Fact check - Geologically, the eruption of Mount Ibu is unrelated to the M7.7 earthquake in NTT on August 15, 2026.
A viral claim on social media asserts that the M7.7 earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Indonesia on August 15, 2026, was triggered by the eruption of Mount Ibu in nearby North Maluku. According to the social media narrative, Mount Ibu unleashed a 5 km high ash column followed by the earthquake. However, a fact check by Tempo discovered that Mount Ibu erupted over 1,375 times throughout 2026, none of which triggered the NTT earthquake.
Mount Ibu's volcanic activity peaked in 2024, receiving Level IV warning status in May 2024 and then decreased to Level III and Level II by 2025. On the day of the NTT quake, Mount Ibu erupted daily with ash columns reaching 400 to 800 meters, well below the 5 km height claimed. Volcanology expert Heri Andreas from ITB stated there is no theoretical linkage between the two events, as earthquakes along the same tectonic plate usually precede volcanic activity, not the other way around.
The NTT earthquake originated from movement along the Flores Back-Arc Thrust fault, not from the Mount Ibu eruption. Thus, the claim that the Mount Ibu eruption triggered the NTT earthquake is misleading and unfounded.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
