"After the 24 December increase in vapour emission, Ulawun was back to a rather low level of activity. The summit crater released a low-pressure, sulfur-laden vapour plume, and daily seismicity included fewer than 1,000 B-type recorded events. In January the seismicity steadily increased again in both amplitude and frequency, to its former moderate level of 1,000-1,300 events per day."

Geological Summary. The symmetrical basaltic-to-andesitic Ulawun stratovolcano is the highest volcano of the Bismarck arc, and one of Papua New Guinea's most frequently active. The volcano, also known as the Father, rises above the N coast of the island of New Britain across a low saddle NE of Bamus volcano, the South Son. The upper 1,000 m is unvegetated. A prominent E-W escarpment on the south may be the result of large-scale slumping. Satellitic cones occupy the NW and E flanks. A steep-walled valley cuts the NW side, and a flank lava-flow complex lies to the south of this valley. Historical eruptions date back to the beginning of the 18th century. Twentieth-century eruptions were mildly explosive until 1967, but after 1970 several larger eruptions produced lava flows and basaltic pyroclastic flows, greatly modifying the summit crater.

Information Contacts: P. de Saint Ours and B. Talai, RVO.