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Papua New Guinea · Caldera

Rabaul caldera

Rabaul

Type
Caldera
Elevation
688m
Last eruption
2014
Rabaul caldera
Photo: Taro Taylor edit by Richard Bartz · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Papua New Guinea
Region
Southwestern Pacific / Bismarck Volcanic Arc
Elevation
688m
Coordinates
-4.246, 152.194
Last eruption
2014
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Dacite

Geological summary

The low-lying Rabaul caldera on the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula at the NE end of New Britain forms a broad sheltered harbor utilized by what was the island's largest city prior to a major eruption in 1994.

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

From Wikipedia

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.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

19 recordedGlossary

Record summary

Confirmed eruptions
19
Uncertain eruptions
0
Span of confirmed record
683 (±2 yrs) – 2014
Largest confirmed eruption
VEI 6 (683)
Confirmed eruptions since 1900
13
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
683~816 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 61349~1482 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1748~1881 · 4 eruptions · max VEI 31881~2014 · 13 eruptions · max VEI 4683949134916151881

Detailed timeline

  1. 2014VEI 3Observed
    2014-07-07 – 2014-09-18
    Tavurvur
  2. 2013VEI 2Observed
    2013-01-19 – 2014-03-11
    Tavurvur
  3. 2011VEI 2Observed
    2011-03-29 – 2011-08-12
    Tavurvur
  4. 2010VEI 1Observed
    2010-07-23 – 2010-07-25
    Tavurvur
  5. 2006VEI 4Observed
    2006-08-11 – 2010-01-31
    Tavurvur
  6. 2005VEI 2Observed
    2005-01-25 – 2006-02-17
    Tavurvur
  7. 2002VEI 2Observed
    2002-10-06 – 2004-02-17
    Tavurvur
  8. 1995VEI 2Observed
    1995-11-28 – 2001-09-05
    Tavurvur
  9. 1994VEI 4Observed
    1994-09-19 – 1995-04-16
    Tavurvur and Vulcan
  10. 1943VEI 2Observed
    1943-11-24 – 1943-12-23
    Tavurvur
  11. 1941VEI 2Observed
    1941-06-06 – 1942-03-31
    Tavurvur
  12. 1940VEI 1Observed
    1940-02-04 – 1940-05-18
    Tavurvur
  13. 1937VEI 4Observed
    1937-05-29 – 1937-06-02
    Vulcan and Tavurvur
  14. 1878VEI 3Observed
    1878-01-30 – 1878-02-26
    Vulcan Island and Tavurvur
  15. 1850VEI 2Observed
    1850-07-02 – end unknown
    Sulfur Creek
  16. 1791VEI 2Observed
    1791-05-22 – end unknown
    Tavurvur
  17. 1767VEI 2Observed
    1767-09-10 – end unknown
    Tavurvur ?
  18. 1450 (±150 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1450 – end unknown
    NE caldera rim (Rabalanakia)
  19. 683 (±2 yrs)VEI 6Geological estimate
    683 – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.