Report on Kadovar (Papua New Guinea) — 6 January-12 January 2021
Smithsonian Institution / US Geological Survey
Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 January-12 January 2021
Managing Editor: Sally Sennert.
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 2021. Report on Kadovar (Papua New Guinea) (Sennert, S, ed.). Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 6 January-12 January 2021. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.
Kadovar
Papua New Guinea
3.608°S, 144.588°E; summit elev. 365 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Based on satellite and wind model data, the Darwin VAAC reported that during 5-7 January ash plumes from Kadovar rose to altitudes of 1.5-1.8 km (5,000-6,000 ft) a.s.l. and drifted NW and W.
Geological Summary. The 2-km-wide island of Kadovar is the emergent summit of a Bismarck Sea stratovolcano of Holocene age. It is part of the Schouten Islands, and lies off the coast of New Guinea, about 25 km N of the mouth of the Sepik River. Prior to an eruption that began in 2018, a lava dome formed the high point of the andesitic volcano, filling an arcuate landslide scarp open to the south; submarine debris-avalanche deposits occur in that direction. Thick lava flows with columnar jointing forms low cliffs along the coast. The youthful island lacks fringing or offshore reefs. A period of heightened thermal phenomena took place in 1976. An eruption began in January 2018 that included lava effusion from vents at the summit and at the E coast.
