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Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) — December 1999


Langila

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 24, no. 12 (December 1999)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.

Langila (Papua New Guinea) Intermittent eruptive activity; fine ashfall

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1999. Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 24:12. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199912-252010



Langila

Papua New Guinea

5.525°S, 148.42°E; summit elev. 1330 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


Intermittent Vulcanian eruptive activity at Crater 2 continued throughout November. Crater 2 released small-to- moderate volumes of gray ash clouds on 2, 4, 9-17, 20, and 25-27 November. On the 25th, two explosions produced dense convoluted ash clouds that rose ~1.5 km above the crater, resulting in fine ashfall downwind to the SSE. A bright red glow was visible on the 15th. Crater 3 was quiet throughout the month. Visual observation reports in December were only received on the 1st and 2nd. On these two days the activity at both craters was low, producing very weak volumes of white vapor. The seismograph remained unoperational.

Geological Summary. Langila, one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, consists of a group of four small overlapping composite basaltic-andesitic cones on the lower E flank of the extinct Talawe volcano in the Cape Gloucester area of NW New Britain. A rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater is breached widely to the SE; Langila was constructed NE of the breached crater of Talawe. An extensive lava field reaches the coast on the N and NE sides of Langila. Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded since the 19th century from three active craters at the summit. The youngest and smallest crater (no. 3 crater) was formed in 1960 and has a diameter of 150 m.

Information Contacts: I. Itikarai, H.Patia, and F. Taranu, Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO), P.O. Box 386, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.