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Mount Balbi

Balbi

Stratovolcano · Papua New Guinea · 2715m

Balbi volcano forms the highest point on Bougainville Island and is part of a large number of coalesced cones and lava domes. Five well-preserved craters occupy a NW-SE-trending ridge N of the summit, which also has a crater. Crater C, containing a small lake, is seen here from the E. A plume from a fumarole field on the W flank of 600-m-wide Crater B is visible to the left. The latest eruption may have been as recent as the mid-19th century.
Balbi volcano forms the highest point on Bougainville Island and is part of a large number of coalesced cones and lava domes. Five well-preserved craters occupy a NW-SE-trending ridge N of the summit, which also has a crater. Crater C, containing a small lake, is seen here from the E. A plume from a fumarole field on the W flank of 600-m-wide Crater B is visible to the left. The latest eruption may have been as recent as the mid-19th century. · Photo: Photo by Wally Johnson, 1987 (Australia Bureau of Mineral Resources). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Papua New Guinea
Region
Southwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions / Bougainville Volcanic Arc
Elevation
2715m
Coordinates
-5.916, 155.001
Last eruption
Unknown
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Crustal thickness unknown
Landform
Composite
Major rock type
Andesite / Basaltic Andesite
Geological summary

The complex andesitic Balbi stratovolcano on Bougainville Island includes a large number of coalesced cones and lava domes. Five well-preserved craters occupy a NW-SE-trending ridge north of the summit cone, which also contains a crater. Three large valleys with steep headwalls dissect the flanks. The age of the most recent eruption is not known precisely. An oral tradition of a major eruption during the 19th century is thought to be in error, but could refer to minor eruptive activity. Fumaroles are located within 600-m-wide Crater B and on its W flank.

From Wikipedia

Mount Balbi is a Holocene stratovolcano located in the northern portion of the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. A gentle prominence at 05°54′09″S 154°59′28″E is the highest point of the island. There are five volcanic craters east of the summit, one of which contains a crater lake. The summit is composed of coalesced cones and lava domes which host a large solfatara field. There are numerous fumaroles near the craters, though Balbi has not erupted in historic time.

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Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1825~1825 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?18251825182618261826

Detailed timeline

  1. 1825 (±25 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1825 – Ongoing
    Crater B ?

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.