During 23-31 October, eruptive activity at Langila's Crater 2 consisted of continuous emissions of gray-to-brown ash plumes accompanied by sub-forceful gray ash plumes. Pilots reported plumes to an altitude of 2.4 km (8,000 ft) a.s.l. that drifted NE. Explosions of incandescent lava fragments were visible during 23-30 October. Based on satellite imagery, the Darwin VAAC reported that on 31 October a small ash plume rose to an altitude of 4.6 km (15,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NNE.

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.

Sources: Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO)