"Activity declined to a moderate level in May after about 3 months of relatively strong explosive eruptions. The latest period of incandescent lava ejections and night glow at Crater 2 ended on 9 May, although there were still moderate emissions of thin-to-thick grey ash-vapour clouds. Occasional dark ash columns resulted in light ashfalls on the N and NW sides of the volcano. Weak explosions and low rumbling noises were heard at the beginning of May, but subsided after the 19th. The number of Vulcanian explosion earthquakes recorded in May dropped to 70, compared to 134 in April. Activity from Crater 3 consisted of weak white vapour emissions. No glow was observed, and the crater remained silent."

Geological Summary. Langila, one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, consists of a group of four small overlapping composite basaltic-andesitic cones on the lower E flank of the extinct Talawe volcano in the Cape Gloucester area of NW New Britain. A rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater is breached widely to the SE; Langila was constructed NE of the breached crater of Talawe. An extensive lava field reaches the coast on the N and NE sides of Langila. Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded since the 19th century from three active craters at the summit. The youngest and smallest crater (no. 3 crater) was formed in 1960 and has a diameter of 150 m.

Information Contacts: I. Itikarai, P. de Saint-Ours, R. Stewart, and C. McKee, RVO.