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Comoros · Shield volcano

Mount Karthala

Karthala

Type
Shield volcano
Elevation
2350m
Last eruption
2007
Mount Karthala
Photo: alKomor.com · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Comoros
Region
Somalian & Antarctic / Madagascar-Comoros Volcanic Province
Elevation
2350m
Coordinates
-11.766, 43.364
Last eruption
2007
Tectonic setting
Intraplate / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

The southernmost and largest of the two shield volcanoes forming Grand Comore Island (also known as Ngazidja Island), Karthala has two overlapping 3-4 km summit calderas generated by repeated collapse. Elongated rift zones extend NNW and SE from the summit of the basaltic shield, which has an asymmetrical profile that is steeper to the S. The lower SE rift zone forms the Massif du Badjini, a peninsula at the SE tip of the island. More than twenty eruptions have been recorded since the 19th century from the summit caldera and vents on the N and S flanks, producing many lava flows that reached the sea on both sides of the island. An 1860 CE lava flow from the summit caldera traveled ~13 km to the NW, reaching the W coast to the N of the capital city of Moroni.

Eruption history

35 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
1050~1146 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1720~1816 · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1816~1911 · 19 eruptions · max VEI 21911~2007 · 13 eruptions · max VEI 310501241152917201911

Detailed timeline

  1. 2007VEI 2Observed
    2007-01-12 – 2007-01-15
    Chahalé crater
  2. 2006VEI 0Observed
    2006-05-28 – 2006-06-03
    Chahalé crater
  3. 2005VEI 2Observed
    2005-04-16 – 2005-04-18
    Chahalé crater
  4. 2005VEI 3Observed
    2005-11-24 – 2005-12-08
    Chahalé crater
  5. 1991VEI 2Observed
    1991-07-11 – 1991-07-11
    Choungou-Chahalé (Choungou-Chamadji)
  6. 1977VEI 1Observed
    1977-04-05 – 1977-04-10
    SW flank
  7. 1972VEI 1Observed
    1972-09-08 – 1972-10-05
    North end of summit crater
  8. 1965VEI 2Observed
    1965-07-12 – 1965-07-12
    Between Changomeni & Chahalé Craters
  9. 1956VEI 2Observed
    1956-06-01 – end unknown
    Chahalé crater
  10. 1952VEI 2Observed
    1952-02-10 – 1952-02-12
    Chahalé crater
  11. 1948VEI 2Observed
    1948-04-22 – 1948-06-16
    Cheminee Nord (Changomeni)
  12. 1928 (±2 yrs)VEI 1Observed
    1928-07-02 – end unknown
  13. 1918VEI 3Observed
    1918-08-11 – 1918-08-26
    NE flank, Changomeni, NE Chahalé
  14. 1910VEI 1Observed
    1910-03-16 – 1910-03-16
    North flank (1300 m)
  15. 1904VEI 2Observed
    1904-02-25 – 1904-04-16
    North flank (1300 m)
  16. 1883VEI 2Observed
    1883-03-16 – 1884-07-02
    SE flank
  17. 1880VEI 2Observed
    1880-07-02 – end unknown
    SE flank (Badjini Massif)
  18. 1876VEI 0Observed
    1876-07-02 – end unknown
    SE flank (Badjini Massif)
  19. 1872VEI 2Observed
    1872-07-02 – end unknown
    NW flank (Diboini Plateau)
  20. 1865VEI 2Observed
    1865-07-02 – end unknown
  21. 1862VEI 2Method not stated
    1862-07-02 – end unknown
  22. 1860VEI 0Observed
    1860-12-29 – end unknown
    SE flank (Badjini Massif, 1200 m)
  23. 1859VEI 2Observed
    1859-07-02 – end unknown
    NW flank (Diboini Plateau fissures)
  24. 1858VEI 2Observed
    1858-07-02 – end unknown
    Upper NE flank (2200 m)
  25. 1857VEI 2Observed
    1857-07-02 – end unknown
    SE flank (Badjini Massif) & summit
  26. 1855VEI 2Observed
    1855-07-01 – end unknown
    SE flank
  27. 1850VEI 0Observed
    1850-07-02 – end unknown
    West-SW flank (400 m)
  28. 1848VEI 0Observed
    1848-07-02 – end unknown
    SE flank
  29. 1833VEI ?Observed
    1833-07-02 – end unknown
    Summit caldera ?
  30. 1830VEI 2Observed
    1830-07-02 – end unknown
  31. 1828VEI 2Observed
    1828-05-16 – end unknown
  32. 1821VEI ?Observed
    1821-12-31 – end unknown
  33. 1814VEI ?Observed
    1814-12-31 – end unknown
  34. 1808VEI ?Observed
    1808-07-02 – end unknown
  35. 1050 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Observed
    1050 – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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