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Late

Stratovolcano · Tonga · 540m

An aerial photo of Late taken in July 1990 shows the main summit crater breached to the SE and a NE graben occupied by large pit craters, the largest of which contains a saltwater lake. Except for remnants of a small lava plug in the summit crater, no fresh lava flows are present. The small, 6-km-wide island rises 1,500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching more than 500 m above sea level.
An aerial photo of Late taken in July 1990 shows the main summit crater breached to the SE and a NE graben occupied by large pit craters, the largest of which contains a saltwater lake. Except for remnants of a small lava plug in the summit crater, no fresh lava flows are present. The small, 6-km-wide island rises 1,500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching more than 500 m above sea level. · Photo: Aerial photo by Tonga Ministry of Lands, Survey, and Natural Resources, 1990 (published in Taylor and Ewart, 1997). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Tonga
Region
Tonga & Kermadec / Tofua Volcanic Arc
Elevation
540m
Coordinates
-18.806, -174.650
Last eruption
1854
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

The 6-km-wide circular island of Late, along the Tofua volcanic arc about 55 km WSW of Vavau, contains a 400-m-wide, 150-m-deep summit crater with an ephemeral lake. The largely submerged basaltic andesite to andesitic volcano rises 1,500 m from the sea floor, with its conical summit reaching 540 m above sea level. Cinder cones are found north of the summit crater, west and north of a semicircular plateau 100-150 m below the summit, and on the NW coast. A graben-like structure on the NE flank contains two large pit craters, the lower of which is partially filled by a saltwater lake. Eruptions from the NE-flank craters produced explosive activity and possible lava flows in 1790 and 1854.

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1790~1796 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 21848~1854 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 217901803182218351848

Detailed timeline

  1. 1854VEI 2Observed
    1854-07-02 – Ongoing
    NE flank
  2. 1790VEI 2Observed
    1790 – Ongoing
    NE flank?

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.