Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) — December 1997
Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, vol. 22, no. 12 (December 1997)
Managing Editor: Richard Wunderman.
Langila (Papua New Guinea) Occasional explosions during December
Please cite this report as:
Global Volcanism Program, 1997. Report on Langila (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 22:12. Smithsonian Institution.
Papua New Guinea
5.525°S, 148.42°E; summit elev. 1330 m
All times are local (unless otherwise noted)
Occasional explosions occurred during December at two of Langila's craters. Moderately thick gray ash was emitted from Crater 2 through most of the month, accompanied by deep roaring and rumbling sounds. An ashfall was reported on 5 December. Weak but steady and sometimes bright fluctuating night glows were visible on 4, 25, and 26 December. Crater 3 released weak fumarolic vapors. Neither seismograph was operational during December.
Geological Summary. Langila, one of the most active volcanoes of New Britain, consists of a group of four small overlapping composite basaltic-andesitic cones on the lower E flank of the extinct Talawe volcano in the Cape Gloucester area of NW New Britain. A rectangular, 2.5-km-long crater is breached widely to the SE; Langila was constructed NE of the breached crater of Talawe. An extensive lava field reaches the coast on the N and NE sides of Langila. Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions, sometimes accompanied by lava flows, have been recorded since the 19th century from three active craters at the summit. The youngest and smallest crater (no. 3 crater) was formed in 1960 and has a diameter of 150 m.
Information Contacts: Ben Talai, RVO.