Rabaul caldera
| Rabaul caldera | |
|---|---|
True-colour image of the Rabaul caldera from space. From left to right: Vulcan (twin cones), Rabalanakaia, Tavurvur.
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 688 m (2,257 ft) |
| Listing | List of volcanoes in Papua New Guinea |
| Coordinates | 4°16′16″S 152°12′11″E / 4.27111°S 152.20306°ECoordinates: 4°16′16″S 152°12′11″E / 4.27111°S 152.20306°E |
| Geography | |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | ~1,400 years |
| Mountain type | Pyroclastic shield/Caldera |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Bismarck volcanic arc |
| Last eruption | August to September 2014 |
The Rabaul caldera, or Rabaul Volcano, is a large volcano on the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, and derives its name from the town of Rabaul inside the caldera. The caldera has many sub-vents, Tavurvur being the most well known for its devastating eruptions over Rabaul. The outer flanks of the highest peak, a 688-metre-high asymmetrical pyroclastic shield, are formed by thick pyroclastic flow deposits. There is no sign of a pyroclastic shield along the rim of the caldera, making the location likely underwater, on the caldera's floor.
Tavurvur, a stratovolcano and a sub-vent of the caldera, is the most visibly active, continuously throwing ash. In 1994 it, and nearby Vulcan, erupted and devastated Rabaul; however, due to planning for such a catastrophe, the townsfolk were prepared and only five people were killed. One of the deaths was caused by lightning, a feature of volcanic ash clouds.
In 1937, Vulcan and Tavurvur erupted simultaneously, killing 507 people. This event led to the founding of the Rabaul Volcano Observatory which watches over the many active volcanoes on Papua New Guinea. One eruption over several days in March 2008 released a plume of ash and water vapor that drifted northwest over the Bismarck Sea.
In August 2014, the volcano woke up and smoldered until it climaxed with a VEI 3 eruption.
The volcano smoldered from January 2013 to March 2014 before taking a break until August.
Eruptions at Rabaul's Tavurvur volcano resumed on 23 July 2010 after nearly seven months without ash emissions. As previously noted, Tavurvur was quiet between 1 January to 8 April 2010 (BGVN 35:02).
On 9 April 2010, the Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO) reported that deformation measurements at Rabaul caldera during the previous 3–4 months had shown an inflationary trend with a total of 4 cm of uplift. During 2–8 April seismicity was low and variable amounts of white vapor rose from Tavurvur cone.
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Wikipedia