Global Volcanism Program

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

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

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

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

254020

350 BCE

450 m / 1,476 ft

4.08°S
153.65°E

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Composite

Volcano Types
Stratovolcano
Caldera
Lava dome(s)
Maar

Rock Types

Major
Phono-tephrite / Tephri-phonolite
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite
Trachyandesite / Basaltic Trachyandesite
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Trachyte / Trachydacite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Crustal thickness unknown

Population

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

1,643
9,195
9,779
24,367

Geological Summary

Ambitle is the larger of two adjacent islands forming the Feni Islands, which are located near the SE end of an island chain north and east of New Ireland. This dominantly Pliocene-to-Pleistocene stratovolcano is characterized by a variety of alkalic rocks types. A 3-km-wide central caldera was constructed over Tertiary marine limestone deposits and is occupied by late-Pleistocene trachytic lava domes. A maar on the eastern side of the domes formed about 2300 years ago. Several thermal areas, consisting of hot and boiling springs, mud pools, and low-temperature fumaroles, are found on the western side of the caldera floor and near the western edge of the central lava dome. Shallow-water hydrothermal venting also occurs in a coral reef environment just off the western coast of the island. Babase Island, immediately to the NE of Ambitle, is composed of a Pleistocene stratovolcano and lava dome connected by a narrow isthmus.

References

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

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

Licence P S, Terrill J E, Fergusson L J, 1987. Epithermal gold mineralization, Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea. Proc Pacific Rim Cong 1987, 1: 273-278.

Pichler T, Dix G R, 1996. Hydrothermal venting within a coral reef ecosystem, Ambitle Island, Papua New Guinea. Geology, 24: 435-438.

Wallace D A, Johnson R W, Chappell B W, Arculus R J, Perfit M R, Crick I H, 1983. Cainozoic volcanism of the Tabar, Lihir, Tanga, and Feni Islands, Papua New Guinea: geology, whole-rock analyses, and rock-forming mineral compositions. Aust Bur Min Resour Geol Geophys Rpt, 243: 1-62.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

0350 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

Episode 1 | Eruption (Explosive / Effusive)

East side of caldera

0350 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at East side of caldera

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
	- - - -	- - - -	Tephra

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

Feni | Anir

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Babase

Stratovolcano

200 m

4° 2' 0.00" S

153° 43' 0.00" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Kapkai

Thermal

Nanum River

Thermal

4° 5' 0.00" S

153° 38' 0.00" E

Saddle

Thermal

Waramung Plantation

Thermal

4° 5' 0.00" S

153° 38' 0.00" E

Photo Gallery

Ambitle (left center) is the larger of two adjacent islands forming the Feni Islands. The 13-km-long island is dominantly Pliocene-to-Pleistocene with a 3-km-wide central caldera. A maar on the E side of post-caldera lava domes formed about 2,300 years ago. Thermal areas are active within the caldera and just off the W coast. Babase Island, immediately to the NE of Ambitle, is a Pleistocene volcano and lava dome connected by a narrow isthmus.

NASA Space Shuttle image STS88-706-56, 1998 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

Ambitle Island is on the left and Babase Island is to the upper right in this February 2020 Planet Labs satellite image monthly mosaic (N is at the top; this image is approximately 21 km across). The 900 x 550 m Ambitle crater is near the center of the larger island and formed within a flank collapse scarp. Lava domes produced block-and-ash flow deposits and lava flows are also present.

Satellite image courtesy of Planet Labs Inc., 2020 (https://www.planet.com/).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Ambitle 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 Ambitle. 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 Ambitle. 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 Ambitle

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).