Global Volcanism Program

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

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

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

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

252040

1895 CE

408 m / 1,339 ft

5.0455°S
150.0996°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Caldera

Volcano Types
Caldera
Shield
Maar(s)

Rock Types

Major
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Dacite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Continental crust (> 25 km)

Population

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

1,147
1,147
3,743
113,954

Geological Summary

The 10.5 x 13.5 km Dakataua caldera anchors the northern tip of the Willaumez Peninsula of New Britain. The latest episode of caldera formation occurred as recently as about 1,150 years ago, and was followed by at least five sub-Plinian or Vulcanian eruptions. A 12-km-wide freshwater lake whose surface is only about 50 m above sea level occupies the caldera. Two vertical fault-bounded blocks form topographic highs at the western and eastern sides of the caldera. A N-S line of post-caldera cones, explosion craters, and part of an arcuate inner caldera rim form a large peninsula that nearly bisects the arcuate caldera lake. The peninsula includes the 350-m-high andesitic Mount Makalia stratovolcano, the largest of the post-caldera cones, which last erupted during the late-19th century. A major submarine debris avalanche deposit NE of the volcano may represent edifice collapse prior to caldera formation. Thermal areas occur at several locations along the central peninsula.

References

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

Branch C D, 1965. Volcanic activity at Lake Dakataua caldera, New Britain. Aust Bur Min Resour Geol Geophys Rec, 1965/67: 1-8.

Cooke R J S, Johnson R W, 1978. Volcanoes and volcanology in Papua New Guinea. Geol Surv Papua New Guinea Rpt, 78/2: 1-46.

Fisher N H, 1957. Melanesia. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 5: 1-105.

Lowder G G, Carmichael I S E, 1970. The volcanoes and caldera of Talasea, New Britain: geology and petrology. Geol Soc Amer Bull, 81: 17-38. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[17:tvacot]2.0.co;2

Machida H, Blong R J, Specht J, Moriwaki H, Torrence R, Hayakawa Y, Talai B, Lolok D, Pain C F, 1996. Holocene explosive eruptions of Witori and Dakatau caldera volcanoes in west New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Quat Internatl, 34-36: 65-78.

Newhall C G, Dzurisin D, 1988. Historical unrest at large calderas of the world. U S Geol Surv Bull, 1855: 1108 p, 2 vol.

Silver E, Day S, Ward S, Hoffmann G, Llanes P, Driscoll N, Appelgate B, Saunders S, 2009. Volcano collapse and tsunami generation in the Bismarck Volcanic Arc, Papua New Guinea. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 186: 210-222.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1895 ± 5 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Makalia

1895 ± 5 years - Unknown

Evidence from Correlation: Anthropology

List of 5 Events for Episode 1 at Makalia

Start Date	End Date	Event Type
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Lava flow
- - - -	- - - -	Property Damage
1895 ± 5 years	- - - -	Fatalities
1895 ± 5 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

0800 ± 60 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 \| Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)				D-Wn1 ?
0800 ± 60 years - Unknown				Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

0653 ± 18 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive) VEI: 6 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Dk

0653 ± 18 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 5 Events for Episode 1 at Dk

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Phreatomagmatic
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Caldera	Explosion
0800 ± 50 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

Benda

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Inunumuri

Cone

149 m

5° 2' 0.00" S

150° 6' 0.00" E

Lalala

Cone

5° 1' 0.00" S

150° 6' 0.00" E

Langalanga, Mount

Cone

400 m

5° 6' 0.00" S

150° 5' 0.00" E

Makalia
Malala

Shield volcano

346 m

5° 34' 26.00" S

150° 6' 7.00" E

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Tunaumuri

Maar

5° 4' 0.00" S

150° 5' 0.00" E

Twunamuri

Maar

5° 4' 0.00" S

150° 5' 0.00" E

Photo Gallery

The youngest-known eruption of Dakataua caldera produced these cones on Mount Makalia, probably during the 1890s. The vent to the right in this image produced a lava flow that is only partly vegetated and descends the E flank of Mount Makalia. The cones are located along a N-S-trending chain of scoria cones and maars across the 12-km-wide caldera lake.

Photo by Russell Blong, 1988 (Macquarie University).

This sparsely-vegetated lava flow appears to be the youngest within Dakataua caldera. It may have been emplaced at the time of the latest known eruption, which took place during the 1890s from the post-caldera cone, Mount Makalia. This is one of several young volcanic features occupying a 7-km-long peninsula.

Photo by Russell Blong, 1988 (Macquarie University).

Shown here is the 10.5 x 13.5 km Dakataua caldera at the N tip of the Willaumez Peninsula. Caldera-formatting activity occurred as recently as about 1,150 years ago. A 12-km-wide freshwater lake (foreground), whose surface is only about 50 m above sea level, occupies the caldera. This view from the W shows two maars (right center) and Mount Makalia (top left), which are located along a N-S-trending peninsula.

Photo by Russell Blong, 1988 (Macquarie University).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Dakataua 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 Dakataua. 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 Dakataua. 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 Dakataua

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).