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).

This image is made available under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 license terms.

Keywords: scoria cone | island volcano | shield volcano

Upolu