Kao volcano
Stratovolcano 1030 m / 3,379 ft
Tonga, Tonga Islands, -19.67°S / -175.03°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Tonga, Tonga Islands, -19.67°S / -175.03°W
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
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Kao volcano eruptions: unknown, no recent eruptions
Latest nearby earthquakes
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Background
The highest and most spectacular volcano of the Tonga Islands, symmetrical Kao volcano rises steeply to 1030 m about 6 km north of Tofua Island. Kao is elongated in a NNE-SSW direction and, with the exception of a small flat area on the SSW coast, rises at angles exceeding 35 degrees to the summit, which has a series of small coalescing craters. The lower flanks of the basaltic-andesite volcano are densely jungled, but the upper slopes are almost vegetation free. No historical eruptions are known from Kao, and fresh-appearing lava flows are not seen, although the absence of sufficient time for erosion to produce deep gullies or high sea cliffs suggests a very recent origin.---
Smithsonian / GVP volcano information
Kao Photos
The large kaoline and bentonite quarry on Milos (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)
Kaoline which had formed as result of fumarolic and hydrothermal alteration was extracted from a small mine at the Kalamo lava dome. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)
See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8
