Global Volcanism Program

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Macauley.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Macauley.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Macauley.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Annexation

Shield volcano

-140 m

30° 10' 39" S

178° 34' 21" W

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Macauley Caldera

Caldera

-1113 m

30° 12' 37" S

178° 28' 29" W

Other

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Haszard Island

Island - Caldera rim fragment

26 m

30° 14' 4" S

178° 24' 57" W

Macauley Island
Haszard, Mount

Island - Caldera rim fragment

212 m

30° 13' 46" S

178° 26' 9" W

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

242021

4360 BCE

238 m / 781 ft

30.21°S
178.475°W

Morphology

Volcano Landform
Caldera

Volcano Types
Caldera
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Rhyolite

Minor
Dacite
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite

Tectonic Setting

Subduction zone
Oceanic crust (< 15 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

0
0
0
0

Geological Summary

Macauley Island is a rim remnant of a large submarine caldera centered 8 km to the NW. The 2-km-diameter island consists of a low, gently sloping surface of rhyolitic pumice from the caldera-forming eruption truncated by steep cliffs formed of underlying basaltic lava flows. The pre-caldera edifice consisted of two generations of shield volcanoes separated by a period of pyroclastic cone growth. Eruption of the voluminous Sandy Bay Tuff about 6,300 years ago truncated the NW side of the Annexation shield volcano and formed a 12-km-wide, 1.1-km deep caldera. Following formation of the caldera and substantial marine erosion, a partly submarine and partly subaerial eruption centered about 2 km N of present-day Macauley Island produced basaltic scoriae and lava flows. A reported possible eruption in 1825 from "Brimstone Island," 45 km W of Macauley at a location with a depth of about 2,000 m and SW of Giggenbach submarine volcano, is likely a location error and could refer to an eruption from the submarine flank of Macauley caldera (Lloyd et al., 1996).

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Latter J H, Lloyd E F, Smith I E M, Nathan S, 1992. Volcanic hazards in the Kermadec Islands, and at submarine volcanoes between southern Tonga and New Zealand. New Zeal Ministry Civil Defense, Volc Hazards Inf Ser, 4: 1-45.

Lloyd E F, Nathan S, Smith I E M, Stewart R B, 1996. Volcanic history of Macauley Island, Kermedec Ridge, New Zealand. New Zeal J Geol Geophys, 39: 295-308.

NIWA/NOAA Vents Program, 2005. New Zealand American submarine ring of fire 2005 Kermadec arc submarine volcanoes. New Zeal Nat Inst Water Atmosph Res/NOAA Vents Program final cruise report (http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05fire/logs/leg2_summary/media/srof05_cruisereport_final.pdf).

Smith I E M, Stewart R B, Price R C, 2003. The petrology of a large intra-oceanic silicic eruption: the Sandy Bay Tephra, Kermadec arc, southwest Pacific. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 124: 173-194.

Wright I C, Worthington T J, Gamble J A, 2006. New multibeam mapping and geochemistry of the 30°-35° S sector, and overview, of southern Kermadec arc volcanism. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res., 149: 263-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2005.03.021

Eruptive History

There is data available for 1 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

[ 1887 Dec 1 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

22 km NNE of Macauley Island

1887 Dec 1 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 1 Events for Episode 1 at 22 km NNE of Macauley Island

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	1887 Dec 1	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

[ 1825 Sep 6 ] Uncertain Eruption

Episode 1 | Eruption

"Brimstone Island," W of Macauley Island

1825 Sep 6 - Unknown

Evidence from Unknown

List of 1 Events for Episode 1 at "Brimstone Island," W of Macauley Island

	Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
	1825 Sep 6	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

4360 BCE ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption VEI: 6 (?)

Episode 1 | Eruption

Sandy Bay Tuff

4360 BCE ± 200 years - Unknown

Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 8 Events for Episode 1 at Sandy Bay Tuff

Start Date	End Date	Event Type	Event Remarks
- - - -	- - - -	Explosion
- - - -	- - - -	Pyroclastic flow
- - - -	- - - -	Ash
- - - -	- - - -	Lapilli
- - - -	- - - -	Blocks
- - - -	- - - -	Pumice
- - - -	- - - -	Caldera	Explosion
4360 BCE ± 200 years	- - - -	VEI (Explosivity Index)

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Macauley.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Macauley.

Photo Gallery

A bathymetric map view shows Macauley and Giggenbach submarine volcanoes in the Kermadec arc with a submersible dive site and Macauley Island labeled. Giggenbach is in the NW corner of the map, and the Pisces submersible dive area is on the eastern rim of Macauley caldera. The map contour interval is 100 m and the resolution of the bathymetry data is 25 m. The proprietary bathymetry data were obtained during a 2005 New Zealand-American NOAA Ocean Explorer research expedition to the Kermadec arc.

Image courtesy of New Zealand Nat. Inst. of Water & Atmospheric Research, 2005 (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05fire).

The submersible vessel Pisces V surfaces in the foreground after a dive in front of Macauley Island during a 2005 New Zealand-American NOAA Ocean Explorer research expedition to the Kermadec Arc. This view from the NW shows a prominent white band in the cliff face that is made of dacite pyroclastic flow deposits. The 3-km-wide Macauley Island is a remnant of the rim of a large submarine caldera centered 8 km to the NW and has a low, gently sloping surface truncated by steep cliffs.

Image courtesy of NOAA, 2005 (http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05fire).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Macauley in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences Rock and Ore collection.

External Sites

Copernicus Browser

The Copernicus Browser replaced the Sentinel Hub Playground browser in 2023, to provide access to Earth observation archives from the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem, the main distribution platform for data from the EU Copernicus missions.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.

MODVOLC Thermal Alerts

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

WOVOdat
   Single Volcano View
   Temporal Evolution of Unrest
   Side by Side Volcanoes

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

GVMID Data on Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure The Global Volcano Monitoring Infrastructure Database GVMID, is aimed at documenting and improving capabilities of volcano monitoring from the ground and space. GVMID should provide a snapshot and baseline view of the techniques and instrumentation that are in place at various volcanoes, which can be use by volcano observatories as reference to setup new monitoring system or improving networks at a specific volcano. These data will allow identification of what monitoring gaps exist, which can be then targeted by remote sensing infrastructure and future instrument deployments.

Volcanic Hazard Maps

The IAVCEI Commission on Volcanic Hazards and Risk has a Volcanic Hazard Maps database designed to serve as a resource for hazard mappers (or other interested parties) to explore how common issues in hazard map development have been addressed at different volcanoes, in different countries, for different hazards, and for different intended audiences. In addition to the comprehensive, searchable Volcanic Hazard Maps Database, this website contains information about diversity of volcanic hazard maps, illustrated using examples from the database. This site is for educational purposes related to volcanic hazard maps. Hazard maps found on this website should not be used for emergency purposes. For the most recent, official hazard map for a particular volcano, please seek out the proper institutional authorities on the matter.

IRIS seismic stations/networks

Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Data Services map showing the location of seismic stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 0.18° (about 20 km at mid-latitudes) from the given location of Macauley. Users can customize a variety of filters and options in the left panel. Note that if there are no stations are known the map will default to show the entire world with a "No data matched request" error notice.

UNAVCO GPS/GNSS stations

Geodetic Data Services map from UNAVCO showing the location of GPS/GNSS stations from all available networks (permanent or temporary) within a radius of 20 km from the given location of Macauley. Users can customize the data search based on station or network names, location, and time window. Requires Adobe Flash Player.

DECADE Data

The DECADE portal, still in the developmental stage, serves as an example of the proposed interoperability between The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the Mapping Gas Emissions (MaGa) Database, and the EarthChem Geochemical Portal. The Deep Earth Carbon Degassing (DECADE) initiative seeks to use new and established technologies to determine accurate global fluxes of volcanic CO₂ to the atmosphere, but installing CO₂ monitoring networks on 20 of the world's 150 most actively degassing volcanoes. The group uses related laboratory-based studies (direct gas sampling and analysis, melt inclusions) to provide new data for direct degassing of deep earth carbon to the atmosphere.

Large Eruptions of Macauley

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).