Bam volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. A mostly submerged stratovolcano forms the small 2.4 km x 1.6 km oval shaped Bam Island. Bam volcano belongs to the Bismarck volcanic arc north of New Guinea. Bam is the SE-most of the Schouten Islands and ocated 40 km NNE of the mouth of the Sepik River.
Bam volcano contains 2 peaks, the NW peak being the active summit, and the SE peak an older cone and slightly lower.
The oval 300 m diameter and 180 m deep summit crater of Bam is free of vegetation due to frequent and recent volcanic activity. The crater has steep walls with exposed lava flows dipping inwards.
The historic eruptions, recorded since 1872, were small to moderate vulcanian eruptions from the summit crater. Hot springs are found on the island.
A NE-trending landslide scarp extends across the upper part of the andesitic volcano from the SW coast, and a large submarine debris-avalanche deposits lies to the south and SW. The younger summit cone partially buries the eastern side of the collapse scarp. A recent lava platform on the north flank supports the small island's only villages.
According to John Seach, "islanders note a seasonal pattern of eruptions, with ash emissions occurring in the doldrums" (http://www.volcanolive.com/bam.html), but no source of this information is given.
