Mount Dempo is the highest stratovolcano in South Sumatra province that rises above Pasumah Plain near Pagar Alam and adjacent with Bengkulu Province. Seven craters are found around the summit. A 400-metre (1,300 ft) wide lake is found at the north-west end of the crater complex.
Historical activity has been confined to being small-to-moderate explosive activity that produced ashfall near the volcano.
Recent activity includes:
A phreatic eruption on January 1, 2009.
July 19, 2023 Steam and ash plume rose 1.3 km above the summit.
August 21, 2023 at 1:54 AM (GMT+7), a small phreatic explosion occurred causing small pyroclastic flows to ride down the northwest slope a few hundred meters downward, resulting to no injuries nor any damage to the surrounding landscape other than the volcano itself, lasting no more than 239s/3m59s.
April 7, 2026 01:37 A phreatic eruption lasted nearly three minutes.
The Royal Rotterdam Lloyd Dutch shipping company named and operated a fine passenger liner named 'Dempo' from 1931 to 1944 between Europe and South Asia.