The forested scoria cone of Tafua Upolu rises near the western tip of 75-km-long Upolu Island in Samoa. The shield volcano is elongated in an E-W direction and was constructed during two periods of extensive eruptions during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Following a lengthy period of erosion, the latest lava flows, at least three of which were estimated to be as young as a few hundred to a few thousand years old, were erupted from vents near the crest of the island at its center and western side.

Photo by Karoly Nemeth (Massey University).

Keywords: scoria cone | island volcano | shield volcano

Upolu