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Samoa · Shield volcano

Savai'i

Savaii

Type
Shield volcano
Elevation
1858m
Last eruption
1911
Savai'i
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Samoa
Region
Southern Pacific / Samoan Hotspot Volcano Group
Elevation
1858m
Coordinates
-13.612, -172.525
Last eruption
1911
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt

Geological summary

Savai`i, the largest and highest of the Samoan islands, consists of a massive basaltic shield volcano constructed along a WNW-ESE-trending rift zone that splits into two rifts on the east side of the 75-km-long, oval-shaped island.

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

From Wikipedia

Savaiʻi is the largest and highest island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii and Maui. While it is larger than the second main island, Upolu, it is significantly less populated.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

12 recordedGlossary

Record summary

Confirmed eruptions
12
Uncertain eruptions
0
Span of confirmed record
1990 BCE (±150 yrs) – 1911
Largest confirmed eruption
VEI 2 (1905, the most recent of 2)
Confirmed eruptions since 1900
2
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
1990 BCE~1795 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1211 BCE~1016 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?627 BCE~432 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?152~347 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?931~1126 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1126~1321 · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1321~1516 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1516~1710 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1710~1905 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 21990 BCE1016 BCE42 BCE7371710

Detailed timeline

  1. 1905VEI 2Observed
    1905-08-04 – 1911-11-16
    Matavanu (north flank 402 m)
  2. 1902VEI 1Observed
    1902-10-30 – 1902-11-17
    Mata Ole Afi (1649 m)
  3. 1760VEI 2Observed
    1760 – end unknown
    Mauga Afi (west-central Toasivi ridge)
  4. 1610 (±200 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1610 – end unknown
    Le'ele
  5. 1350 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1350 – end unknown
    Tafua Savai'i?
  6. 1310 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1310 – end unknown
  7. 1240 (±30 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1240 – end unknown
  8. 1040 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1040 – end unknown
  9. 170 (±100 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    170 – end unknown
  10. 480 BCE (±300 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    480 BCE – end unknown
  11. 1150 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1150 BCE – end unknown
  12. 1990 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1990 BCE – end unknown
    North flank (Maugaloa)

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.