Eruption hazard and challenges of volcanic crisis management on a small Island: A case study on Ternate Island - Indonesia

Ternate Island is a volcanic island formed by the product of Gamalama volcano since thousands of years ago until the present time. It covers 111.4 km2 and inhabited by more than 200,000 people. Its small size and dense population make it vulnerable to eruption hazards. This study aims to analyze the Gamalama volcano eruption hazard and the challenges of crisis management due to eruption on the small volcanic island of Ternate. This research also offers potential solutions for reducing the risk of catastrophic eruptions on small volcanic islands. Data on eruption events, including the type of eruption and the impact are collected and analyzed to see various potential eruption hazards. Besides, the analysis was also carried out to find potential solutions for volcanic risk management on small volcanic islands. The results show that the Ternate Island has the potential volcanic hazard, (primary), i.e., ejecting and incandescent of volcanic material (volcanic ash, sand, gravel, and bomb), lava flow, and pyroclastic flow. The other hazard (secondary) can be in the form of lahar and volcanic-tsunamis. A small island with dense population and all kinds of limitations will be more susceptible to eruption. The potential strategy that must be developed for volcanic risk management on a small island is the sister island concept. This concept is a networking system between communities on disaster-prone islands and communities on other islands that are safe to prepare evacuation procedures to avoid chaos in a volcanic crisis. ©Int. J. of GEOMATE.