Geologic Background:
The small 7-km-wide conical island of Lopevi is
one of Vanuatu's most active volcanoes. The island is
1,450 m high and rises 3,500 m above the seafloor. A
small summit crater containing a cinder cone is breached
to the NW and tops an older cone that is rimmed by the
remnant of a larger crater. The basaltic-to-andesitic
volcano has been active during historical time at both
summit and flank vents, primarily on the NW and SE sides,
producing moderate explosive eruptions and lava flows
that reached the coast.
Historic Activity:
- Historical eruptions date back to the mid-19th
century.
- Both summit and NW-flank vents have been active
during historical time.
- Since the first reports of activity in 1863, this
stratovolcano has been almost continuously active with
frequent ash emissions, pyroclastic flows, and lava
flows.
- A plinian explosion from the NW flank in July 1960
resulted in the evacuation of the island. This eruption,
from a NW-flank fissure vent, produced a pyroclastic flow
that swept to the sea and a lava flow that formed a new
peninsula on the western coast.
- The summit crater, quiet for a least 50 years,
erupted explosively in July 1963; the eruption continued
until 1965 producing lava flows that reached the sea from
multiple radial fissures.
Recent Activity:
- The most recent reported activity consisted of an ash
cloud in October 1982.
- An overflight on July 22, 1996 observed fumarolic
emissions from the south interior wall of the principal
crater.
- Strombolian explosions in the old 1963 crater began
in November 1998 and sporadic eruptive activity continued
into April 2000. There were pyroclastic flows in February
2000. Two lava flows
- Lava flows, debris avalanches, ashfalls and plumes in
2001.
Data Sources:
- Smithsonian's SEAN Bulletin (V. 7, No. 10 and V. 11,
No. 3)
- Global Volcanism Network (V. 16, No. 7 and V. 26, No.
8).
|