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Tonga · Caldera

Tofua

Type
Caldera
Elevation
515m
Last eruption
2026
Tofua
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Tonga
Region
Tonga & Kermadec / Tofua Volcanic Arc
Elevation
515m
Coordinates
-19.750, -175.070
Last eruption
2026
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic andesite

Geological summary

The low, forested Tofua Island in the central part of the Tonga Islands group is the emergent summit of a large stratovolcano that was seen in eruption by Captain Cook in 1774.

Excerpt from the Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution · Read the full summary on GVP →

From Wikipedia

Tofua is a volcanic island in Tonga. Located in the Haʻapai island group, it is a steep-sided composite cone with a summit caldera. It is part of the highly active Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone and its associated volcanic arc, which extends from New Zealand north-northeast to Fiji, and is formed by the subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Indo-Australian Plate. It lies about 100 km (62 mi) above a very active seismic zone. It is connected to the nearby island of Kao by a submarine ridge. As of August 2025, the cone contains a lava lake.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

12 recordedGlossary

Record summary

Confirmed eruptions
11
Uncertain eruptions
1
Span of confirmed record
1774 – 2026
Largest confirmed eruption
VEI 2 (1958, the most recent of 6)
Confirmed eruptions since 1900
5
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
1774~1798 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21822~1846 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 01846~1870 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21870~1895 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21895~1919 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21943~1967 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21991~2015 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 117741822189519431991

Detailed timeline

  1. 2015VEI 0Observed
    2015-10-02 – 2026-03-17
    Lofia crater
  2. 2004VEI 1Observed
    2004-03-19 – 2014-10-18
    Lofia crater
  3. 1993VEI 0Method not stated
    1993-04-29 – end unknown
    Northern part of caldera
  4. 1958VEI 2Observed
    1958-12-31 – 1960-07-02
    Northern part of caldera
  5. 1906VEI 2Observed
    1906-01-16 – 1906-02-16
    Northern part of caldera
  6. 1906VEI 2Observed
    1906-12-16 – end unknown
    Northern part of caldera
  7. 1885VEI 2Observed
    1885-10-16 – end unknown
  8. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-07-02 – end unknown
  9. 1847VEI 1Observed
    1847-07-10 – end unknown
  10. 1845VEI 0Observed
    1845-07-01 – end unknown
  11. 1792VEI 0Observed
    1792 – end unknown
  12. 1774VEI 2Observed
    1774-06 – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.