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Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) — March 1994


Langila

Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 19, no. 3 (March 1994)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.

Langila (Papua New Guinea) Explosion sounds and small ash emissions

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 1994. Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 19:3. Smithsonian Institution. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN199403-252010



Langila

Papua New Guinea

5.525°S, 148.42°E; summit elev. 1330 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


"Crater 2 and Crater 3 both produced mild spasmodic eruptions. Crater 2 released small volumes of ash during 11-18 March, accompanied by deep roaring sounds and incandescent projections on the 15th and 16th. Crater 3 generated occasional explosion noises during 1-10 March, and released small volumes of ash on 3, 10, 13, 15, 17, 27, and 29 March. The ash emissions on 15 March were accompanied by loud explosion noises and incandescent projections. Low explosion noises were also heard on the 29th. There was no seismic monitoring at Langila in March."

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: B. Talai and C. McKee, RVO.