Gamkonora Volcano

Updated: Apr 29, 2025 03:48 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

Halmahera (Indonesia), 1.38°N / 127.52°E

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Summit height: 1635 m / 5,364 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 6 Jul 2022 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

The 1635 m high stratovolcano fo Gamkonora is the highest peak on Halmahera.
It has had shifting shifting eruption centers that have produced an elongated series of summit craters along a N-S trending rift. Young-looking lava flows originate near the cones of Gunung Alon and Popolojo, south of Gamkonora.

Since its first recorded eruption in the 16th century, Gamkonora has typically produced small-to-moderate explosive eruptions. Its largest historical eruption, in 1673, was accompanied by tsunamis that inundated villages and killed many people.
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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: Explosive.
Gamkonora volcano eruptions: 1564, 1673 (possibly very large Plinian eruption), 1885, 1911, 1917, 1926, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1981, 1987, 2007, 2013

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Gamkonora volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Gamkonora has had at least 13 confirmed eruptions, all documented by historical records or observations.
There is one uncertain or discredited eruption in 2013 from Gamkonora volcano.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Gamkonora volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Gamkonora can be found on the news page of Gamkonora volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
?? 2013 Jan 23 - May 27	Uncertain Eruption Historical obs./docs.	1
2007 Jul 8 - Jul 16 ?	Historical obs./docs.	2
1987 Apr 13 - Apr 26	Historical obs./docs.	1
1981 Mar 4 - Jul 25	Historical obs./docs.	1
1952 Jul 16 - Sep 5 ±4 d.	Historical obs./docs.	2
1951 Jul 2 ±182 d.	Historical obs./docs.	2
1950 Oct 16 ±15 d.	Historical obs./docs.	2
1949	Historical obs./docs.	2
1926 Jun	Historical obs./docs.	1?
1917 Oct 18	Historical obs./docs.	2
1911	Historical obs./docs.	2?
1885 ±5 y.	Historical obs./docs.	2
1673 AD May 20	Historical obs./docs.	5?
1673 AD May 20 (eruption 1673 AD May 20)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	5	100-1,000 (*)	light	Info
1673 AD May 20: Reference #414: 1673, May 20. An additional date for the tsunami of August 12, 1673. 1673, August 12, between 22:00 and 22:30 local time. The southern slope of Ternate Volcano split from top to bottom. Avalanches and rock falls occurred. The houses of the King of Ternate, standing at the foot of the volcano, made of stone and covered with tiles, collapsed completely. Reference #40: Ash falls reported from Manado (1.5^oN, 1^oS) on Celebes (2^oS, 121^oE) and southern Mindanao in the Philippines. Reference #2432: The shifting of eruption centers on Gamkonora, at 1635 m the highest peak of Halmahera, has produced an elongated series of summit craters along a N-S trending rift. Youthful-looking lava flows originate near the cones of Gunung Alon and Popolojo, south of Gamkonora. Since its first recorded eruption in the 16th century, Gamkonora has typically produced small-to-moderate explosive eruptions. Its largest historical eruption, in 1673, was accompanied by tsunamis that inundated villages. Cited references #40 Berninghausen, William H. (1969): Tsunamis and seismic seiches of Southeast Asia. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 59, no. 1, p. 289-297. #414 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1974): A catalogue of tsunamis on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 173-1968. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 439 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5077, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 447 p.] #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1564 AD Dec 31 ±365 d.	Historical obs./docs.	3
1564 AD Dec 31 (eruption 1564 AD Dec 31 ±365 d.)	Historical obs./docs.	3	1-50 (*)		Info
1564 AD Dec 31: 1564 or 1565. Number of deaths unknown. Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K

(*) Estimated numbers

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Eruptions of Gamkonora volcano

2007 eruption
A phreatic eruption occurred at Gamkonora volcano on 8 July 2007, producing an 800 m high ash plume and causing light ash fall in up to 7 km distance downwind in the villages Gamkonora, Tobelos, Sarau, Talaga and Bataka. In the following days incandescent material was observed ejected 50 m above the crater, and ash emissions reached altitudes of 4 km. The eruption promted the evacuation of 8000 residents living near the volcano.

1987 eruption
On 13 April 1987, ash eruptions occurred at Gamkorona and ash clouds reached a height of 700 m above the crater. Small explosions were noted also on 21, 24, 25, and 26 April, producing minor ashfall in the immediate surroundings of the volcano. There are no reports of damage or evacuations.

1981 eruptions
Gamkonora volcano erupted on 19 July 1981 with explosions producing ash. Ash plumes reached 700 m above the crater and ash fell in up to 5 km distance south of the volcano. Over 3500 people were evacuated from nearby villages. On 22 July, incandescence was observed from the crater and explosions were accompanied by booming noises heard in a village at the NNW foot of the volcano in 5 km distance.
After the eruption was declared to be small and not posing immediate threats by Indonesian volcanologists, the evacuated returned to their homes.

Gamkonora Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Gamkonora volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Gamkonora occurred in 2007.

+How often does Gamkonora volcano erupt?

Since 1564 AD, Gamkonora volcano has had at least 13 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 35.5 years.

+How active is Gamkonora volcano at present?

Gamkonora volcano is infrequently active: Since 1900, it has had 10 eruptions, and been active during 10 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Gamkonora has been in eruption one in 12.6 years on average. The last eruption was in 2007 and ended 18 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Gamkonora volcano?

The largest eruption of Gamkonora volcano in historic times occurred in 1673 AD. It ranks as a plinian eruption with a magnitude 5 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale. Eruption of this size are often catastrophic on a regional scale.

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Gamkonora Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).