In this blog I share with you my interest not only in travel & adventure, but also in geology and this amazing Earth we live on.
So let's begin with the simple fact that Indonesia lies along the tectonicaly active "Pacific Ring of Fire". The Ring of Fire is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur due to tectonic plate movement. In the northeastern region of North Sulawesi you will find Mount Mahawu, a stratovolcano located immediately east of another volcano called Lokon-Empung.
Stratovolcanoes, also known as composite volcanoes, are generally conical in shape, steep in profile, and are built up by layers (or strata) of volcanic materials, such as hardened lava, pumice, and volcanic ash, after a series of explosive eruptions. Examples of famous stratovolcanoes include Krakatoa, best known for its catastrophic eruption in 1883, Vesuvius, famous for its destruction of Pompeii in 79 CE, and in modern times, most know of the remarkable eruptions of Mount Saint Helens and Mount Pinatubo.
Mount Mahawu is the northernmost of a series of young volcanoes along a SSW-NNE line near the margin of the Quaternary Tondano caldera. A caldera is a volcanic depression that is created when a volcano's peak is blown off, or when the crater floor collapses into an empty magma chamber beneath the volcano. Mahawu is capped by a 590-foot-wide, 460-foot-deep crater that sometimes contains a small crater lake, and has two pyroclastic cones on its northern flank. Less active than its neighbor, Lokon-Empung, Mahawu's historical activity has been restricted to occasional small explosive eruptions recorded since 1789. In 1994 fumaroles (small openings where sulfurous gasses escape), mudpots, and small geysers were observed along the shores of a greenish-colored crater lake.
If you plan to visit Mount Mahawu, you'll find it is just a short drive from the center of Tomohon. A narrow road will lead you about halfway up the side of the crater where you will find a small parking lot. From there you will climb a path of about 300 stairs (not too steep). The hike should only take you about 10-15 minutes at most. As a reward for your efforts, when you arrive at the crater's rim you can follow a dirt path in amongst tall grass where you will be able to enjoy breathtaking views overlooking the Minahasa Peninsula from the Pacific Ocean on the Bitung side to the Indian Ocean on the Manado side (if the weather permits, of course). At the bottom of Mahawu's 460-foot-deep crater, you can observe the steaming, muddy lake and experience the pungent "boiled egg" smell of sulfur from the fumaroles.
If you are taking your hike with a tour group, it is generally customary to stop at a shore-side restaurant along Lake Tondano to grab a bite to eat after your adventure.
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