Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) — April 1998
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 23, no. 4 (April 1998)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.
Langila (Papua New Guinea) Ash clouds rise up to 2.5 km during April
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1998. Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 23:4. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199804-252010
Langila
Papua New Guinea
5.525°S, 148.42°E; summit elev. 1330 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Moderately thick white vapor emissions continued at Crater 2 in April. Gray ash-laden clouds were seen rising to altitudes of 1-1.5 km on 7, 9-12, 16-17, and 22 April. On 25 April, ash clouds rose to an altitude of 2.5 km. A weak incandescent glow was seen on 22 and 28 April. Crater 3 released weak fumarolic vapors.
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: Ben Talai, RVO.
