Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) — November 1994
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 19, no. 11 (November 1994)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.
Langila (Papua New Guinea) Moderate intermittent Vulcanian explosions
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1994. Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 19:11. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199411-252010
Langila
Papua New Guinea
5.525°S, 148.42°E; summit elev. 1330 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
"Continuing the trend of previous months, eruptive activity consisted of moderate and intermittent Vulcanian explosions from Crater 2. During most of November, activity at Crater 2 consisted of noiseless emission of thin white vapour. Occasionally (on 4, 6-8, 15, 18, and 27-29 November), weak explosions were heard and accompanied the rise of dark-grey ash-laden columns to a few hundred meters above the crater. Some of these explosions were large enough to be recorded by a seismometer 9 km away. Fine ashfall was reported in downwind coastal areas. Between 14 and 27 November, weak night glow was seen and the activity was accompanied by low to loud rumblings. Crater 3 released only fumarolic emissions, occasionally accompanied by blue vapour."
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: B. Talai, R. Stewart, and P. de Saint-Ours, RVO.