Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Paka.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Paka.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Paka.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

222053

7550 BCE

1,697 m / 5,568 ft

0.92°N
36.18°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Shield

Volcano Types
Shield
Caldera
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Trachyte / Trachydacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Minor
Trachyandesite / Basaltic Trachyandesite

Tectonic Setting

Rift zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

468
4,354
62,835
1,256,175

Geological Summary

The dominantly Pleistocene Paka shield volcano in the Gregory Rift contains a small 1.5-km-wide summit caldera. Eruption of large volumes of trachytic pyroclastic rocks around the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene formed a NW-trending ridge of pyroclastic cones across the summit region; collapse of this area formed the summit caldera and associated craters. A second large crater SE of the caldera is 0.5 x 1 km wide and contains a pumice cone. The summit caldera is narrowly breached on the N side, which has funneled post-caldera lava flows in this direction. The three youngest post-caldera pyroclastic cones on the NE flank may be only a few hundred years old. A series of viscous trachytic lava flows were erupted from vents on the lower flanks. Young fissure-fed basalts were also erupted to the S, between Paka and Korosi volcanoes. Surficial geothermal activity is widespread at Paka, both within the summit caldera and on extensive portions of the N flank.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Dunkley P N, Smith M, Allen D A, Darling W G, 1993. The geothermal activity and geology of the northern sector of the Kenya Rift Valley. Brit Geol Surv Res Rpt, SC/93/1: 1-185.

Hackman B D, 1988. Geology of the Baringo-Laikipia area. Rpt Mines Geol Dept Kenya, 104: 1-79.

Mohr P A, Wood C A, 1976. Volcano Spacings and Lithospheric Attenuation in the Eastern Rift of Africa. Earth Planet Sci Lett, 33: 126-144.

Smith M, 1991. (pers. comm.).

Williams L A J, Macdonald R, Chapman G R, 1984. Late Quaternary caldera volcanoes of the Kenya Rift Valley. J. Geophys. Res, 89: 8553-8570.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

7550 BCE ± 2000 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 4

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

7550 BCE ± 2000 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: Ar/Ar

List of 6 Events for Episode 1

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Tephra
- - - -	- - - -	Caldera	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lahar or Mudflow
7550 BCE ± 1000 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Synonyms

Pakka

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Jamakatan

Cone

Kasakat Hill

Cone

Katalim

Cone

Lokukus

Vent

Mundi

Cone

Muruese

Cone

Domes

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Cheptomas

Dome

Photo Gallery

Muruese (upper left) is a breached cone on the lower SW flank of Paka volcano. It fed this lobate trachytic lava flow that is 2 km long and 2.5 km wide. The flow is bounded by steep margins and displays prominent concentric pressure ridges. The dominantly Pleistocene Paka shield volcano in the Gregory Rift contains a small 1.5-km-wide summit caldera that is cut on the SE by a large crater.

Photo by Hunting Aereo Surveys (published in Green and Short, 1971).

Trachytic pumice cones drape the upper NE flanks of Paka volcano in this view from the NW. The dark-colored trachytic lava flow with visible flow ridges at the lower right traveled down the N flank through a breach in the caldera wall. The 1.5-km-wide summit caldera is visible to the upper right, and a large crater to the SE appears to its left. Areas with brown vegetation are geothermally active.

Photo by Martin Smith, 1993 (copyright British Geological Survey, NERC).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Paka in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Paka. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Paka. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Paka

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).