The Darwin VAAC reported that at Pago on 14 August around 1030 a very thin, low-level ash plume was visible on satellite imagery. The plume extended N to NNW and was probably below ~2.1 km a.s.l. On the 16th, intermittent eruptions with low ash content produced low-level plumes. The Rabaul Volcano Observatory reported that the low level of activity was expected to continue.

Geological Summary. The Witori caldera (5.5 x 7.5 km) on the northern coast of central New Britain contains the active Pago cone. The Buru caldera cuts the SW flank. The gently sloping outer flanks consist primarily of dacitic pyroclastic-flow and airfall deposits produced during a series of five major explosive eruptions from about 5,600 to 1,200 years ago, many of which may have been associated with caldera formation. The post-caldera Pago cone may have formed less than 350 years ago; it has grown to a height above the Witori caldera rim, and a series of ten dacitic lava flows from it covers much of the caldera floor. The youngest of these was erupted during 2002-2003 from vents extending from the summit nearly to the NW caldera wall.

Source: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC)