Most Recent Weekly Report: 28 July-3 August 2021 Cite this Report

According to a news source, residents on Savo in the Solomon Islands reported increased seismicity to authorities on 28 July. Two days later a team from the Geological Survey Division (GSD) and the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) investigated the volcano. They saw steam-and-gas emissions rising from an area in the crater, possibly indicating an active fissure, and interviewed residents. The GSD briefed the National Disaster Operations Committee and other authorities on 31 July, confirming the increased seismicity, and prompting a preparedness response. Response actions included continuing to monitor the island, deploying technical teams, and issuing Volcano Safety Messages to inform residents of the island as well as in surrounding areas.

Source: SBM Online

Weekly Reports - Index

2021: July

28 July-3 August 2021 Cite this Report

According to a news source, residents on Savo in the Solomon Islands reported increased seismicity to authorities on 28 July. Two days later a team from the Geological Survey Division (GSD) and the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) investigated the volcano. They saw steam-and-gas emissions rising from an area in the crater, possibly indicating an active fissure, and interviewed residents. The GSD briefed the National Disaster Operations Committee and other authorities on 31 July, confirming the increased seismicity, and prompting a preparedness response. Response actions included continuing to monitor the island, deploying technical teams, and issuing Volcano Safety Messages to inform residents of the island as well as in surrounding areas.

Source: SBM Online

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

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.

Synonyms
Sesarga
Craters
Feature Name	Feature Type	Elevation	Latitude	Longitude
Bitivogala	Crater
Thermal
Feature Name	Feature Type	Elevation	Latitude	Longitude
Reoka	Thermal	280 m	9° 9' 0" S	159° 49' 0" E
Tavoka	Thermal	200 m	9° 9' 0" S	159° 49' 0" E
Voghala	Thermal	280 m	9° 8' 0" S	159° 48' 30" E
Vutusuala	Thermal

Basic Data Volcano Number Last Known Eruption Elevation Latitude Longitude 255070 1847 CE 485 m / 1,591 ft 9.13°S 159.82°E Morphology Volcano Landform Composite Volcano Types Stratovolcano Lava dome(s) Rock Types Major Andesite / Basaltic Andesite Dacite Minor Basalt / Picro-Basalt Tectonic Setting Subduction zone Crustal thickness unknown Population Within 5 km Within 10 km Within 30 km Within 100 km 3,200 3,200 6,251 174,571

Geological Summary The 6 x 7 km island of Savo consists of a forested andesitic-to-dacitic stratovolcano with a shallow, elliptical 1 x 1.5 km wide summit crater. Lava domes of historical age are located on the crater floor and its NE rim, and older domes occur on the flanks of the volcano. Pyroclastic flows and mudflows traveled down valleys from the summit crater to form debris fans along the coast. Thermal areas located in the summit crater, the south to SE flanks, and offshore include areas of steaming ground, fumaroles, small geysers, and hot springs. Spanish explorers arrived in 1568 during the first historical eruption of Savo. Pyroclastic flows during the climactic phase killed almost all inhabitants of the island, and oral traditions also note the expansion of the island on the northern side. Other eruptive episodes occurred during the mid-17th century and during the 1830s to 1840s. References The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography. Fisher N H, 1957. Melanesia. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 5: 1-105. Grover J C, 1958. The Solomon Islands--geological exploration and research 1953-1956. Geol Surv Brit Solomon Is Mem, 2: 1-150. Petterson M, Cronin S, Taylor P, Tolia D, Papabatu A, Toba T, Qopoto C, 2003. The eruptive history and volcanic hazards of Savo, Solomon Islands. Bulletin of Volcanology, 65: 165-181.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 3 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Savo.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Savo.

Photo Gallery

The 6 x 7 km island of Savo has been the source of major historical eruptions, which included pyroclastic flows that devastated much of the island. The summit contains a 1 x 1.5 km crater and lava domes are located on its floor, NE rim, and the outer flank of the volcano. Thermal areas located in the summit crater, along the flanks of the volcano, and offshore include fumaroles and small geysers.

Photo by Nick Varley (University of Colima).

GVP Map Holdings

Maps are not currently available due to technical issues.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

There are no samples for Savo 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 Savo. 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 Savo. 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 Savo	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).