"Eruptive activity, which had been declining since a peak in October 1980, increased in April. Explosions from Crater 2 produced dark ash clouds on 13 and 29 April. Weak glow above this crater was seen on 25 and 26 April. Pale grey emissions from Crater 3 were observed on 2, 14, 16, and 17 April. Blue emissions from the same vent were noticed on 8 days. No explosive sounds were detected at the observation post about 10 km away. The intensity of seismic activity remained low."

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: C. McKee, RVO.