A new vent on the floor of Karkar's inner caldera began erupting on 12 January 1979. On 8 March a major phreatic eruption from the vent produced a directed explosion that devastated an area on the southern caldera rim. The explosion enlarged the January crater to a diameter of 300 m and a depth of 200 m. This 17 April view from the NE shows a low ash plume rising from the new crater.

Photo by William Melson, 1979 (Smithsonian Institution)

This image is made available under the Public Domain Dedication CC0 license, but proper attribution is appreciated.

Galleries: Explosive Eruptions

Keywords: ash | ash plume | plume | eruption | vent | crater | caldera

Karkar