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Fiji · Shield volcano

Taveuni

Type
Shield volcano
Elevation
1241m
Last eruption
1550
Taveuni
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
Fiji
Region
Southwestern Pacific / Fiji Volcanic Arc
Elevation
1241m
Coordinates
-16.841, -179.964
Last eruption
1550
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Crustal thickness unknown
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-basalt
Geological summary

Taveuni, the third largest of the Fiji islands, is known as the "Garden Island" due to its rich volcanic soils. The massive, elongated basaltic shield volcano includes approximately 150 volcanic cones along a NE-SW rift that extends the length of the 40-km-long island. A few cones in the central part occur to the west of the axial rift zone. At least 58 eruptions have occurred since the first known human settlements around 950-750 BCE; all of these eruptions affected the southern two-thirds of the island. A period of voluminous eruptions between about 300 and 500 CE caused abandonment of the southern part the island until about 1100 CE. The latest known eruption produced a lava flow at the southern tip sometime between about 1450 and 1650 CE.

Eruption history

34 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
8040 BCE~7720 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 26761 BCE~6442 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 26122 BCE~5802 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 25483 BCE~5163 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 24843 BCE~4524 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 23884 BCE~3565 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 23245 BCE~2925 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21966 BCE~1647 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21647 BCE~1327 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21327 BCE~1007 BCE · 4 eruptions · max VEI 2688 BCE~368 BCE · 3 eruptions · max VEI 2368 BCE~48 BCE · 3 eruptions · max VEI 248 BCE~271 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 1271~591 · 5 eruptions · max VEI 2591~911 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 2911~1230 · 2 eruptions · max VEI 21230~1550 · 3 eruptions · max VEI 28040 BCE5802 BCE3245 BCE1007 BCE1230

Detailed timeline

  1. 1550 (±100 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    1550 – end unknown
    Near South Cape
  2. 1420 (±20 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    1420 – end unknown
    Central Taveuni (Tutu area)
  3. 1350 (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1350 – end unknown
  4. 1160 (±150 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    1160 – end unknown
    Southern Taveuni (Vana Kei Vuna)
  5. 1020VEI 2Geological estimate
    1020 – end unknown
  6. 880VEI 2Geological estimate
    880 – end unknown
  7. 770VEI 2Geological estimate
    770 – end unknown
  8. 640 (±40 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    640 – end unknown
  9. 520 (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    520 – end unknown
    South Taveuni (Tavuyaga, Ngatutu, Ngatavo)
  10. 480 (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    480 – end unknown
    Central Taveuni (Tagimoucea area)
  11. 400 (±50 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    400 – end unknown
  12. 350VEI 2Geological estimate
    350 – end unknown
    Central Taveuni (Des Voeux Peak area)
  13. 320 (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    320 – end unknown
  14. 270VEI 1Geological estimate
    270 – end unknown
    Central Taveuni (west of Lake Tagimoucea)
  15. 220 (±100 yrs)VEI 0Geological estimate
    220 – end unknown
  16. 90 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    90 BCE – end unknown
  17. 200 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    200 BCE – end unknown
  18. 330 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    330 BCE – end unknown
  19. 400 BCE (±20 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    400 BCE – end unknown
  20. 600 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    600 BCE – end unknown
  21. 680 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    680 BCE – end unknown
  22. 1020 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1020 BCE – end unknown
  23. 1100 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1100 BCE – end unknown
  24. 1200 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1200 BCE – end unknown
  25. 1300 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1300 BCE – end unknown
  26. 1450 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1450 BCE – end unknown
  27. 1700 BCEVEI 2Geological estimate
    1700 BCE – end unknown
  28. 3200 BCE (±150 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    3200 BCE – end unknown
  29. 3580 BCE (±200 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    3580 BCE – end unknown
  30. 4800 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    4800 BCE – end unknown
  31. 5230 BCE (±100 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    5230 BCE – end unknown
  32. 5920 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    5920 BCE – end unknown
  33. 6560 BCE (±75 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    6560 BCE – end unknown
  34. 8040 BCE (±50 yrs)VEI 2Geological estimate
    8040 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.