Mount Ibu, a volcano in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, has erupted, spewing thick grey ash and dark clouds into the sky for five minutesz

Indonesia — Mount Ibu, a volcano in Indonesia’s North Maluku province, erupted on Monday, sending thick grey ash and dark clouds 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) into the sky for five minutes, officials said.

Hendra Gunawan, chief of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, warned of potential future eruptions due to ongoing volcanic earthquakes. The alert level for the volcano was raised from 2 to 3, the second-highest level, after an eruption on Friday. Local authorities have prepared evacuation tents, though no evacuation order has been issued yet.

Residents and tourists are advised to avoid activities within 5 kilometers (3 miles) of Mount Ibu’s crater. Over 13,000 people live within this radius. Mount Ibu, standing at 1,325 meters (4,347 feet), is located on the northwest coast of Halmahera island.

Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes and is prone to volcanic activity as it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.