Lamington Volcano

Updated: May 28, 2025 22:14 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

New Guinea (Papua New Guinea), -8.95°S / 148.15°E

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Summit height: 1680 m / 5,512 ft

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

Last update: 9 Dec 2021 (uncertain reports about ash emissions on 25 March)

Mt Lamington volcano is a large andesitic stratovolcano within sight of the provincial capital Popondetta north of the Owen Stanley Range. It rises 1680 m above the coastal plain.
The forested Mount Lamington had not been known as a volcano, before it erupted violently in 1951 and caused one of the 20th century's worst volcanic desasters, killing more than 3000 people.
Mount Lamington is one of 4 large Quaternary stratovolcanoes on the north coast of southeastern New Guinea. The other 3 volcanoes are Hydrographers Range, Mount Trafalgar, and Mount Victory volcanoes.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: explosive
Lamington volcano eruptions: 1951-1956

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Background

Lamington volcano contains a 1.3-km-wide breached summit crater with a lava dome complex. Its cone is dissected by radial valleys. A prominent broad valley extending from the breached crater to the north is known as "avalanche valley".
2 early Holocene eruptions at Lamington have been identified from ash layers. The catastrophic 1951 eruption seems to have followed a long quiescent interval. Even the local Orakaiva people had no memory about in form of stories of any previous volcanic activity.
Lamington is one of 4 major andesite volcanoes (the others being Mount Victory, Mount Trafalgar and Hydrographers Range) located on a NE-dipping 60 million years old ophiolite (a fragment of ancient oceanic crust), known as the Papuan Ultramafic Belt (PUB). At present, there is no Benioff-Wadati subduction zone beneath the ophiolite sheet.
Magmas erupted from Lamington have unusually high levels of Nickel and Chromium.

Sources:
- Smithsonian / GVP volcano information
- G.A.M. Taylor (1954) "Vulcanological observations mount Lamington 29th May, 1952" Bulletin of Volcanology, Volume 15, Number 1, pp. 81-89
- G.A.M. Taylor (1958 / 2nd ed., 1983) "The 1951 eruption of Mount Lamington, Papua", BMR (Australia) Bulletin 38, Australian Government publishing service, Canberra (ISBN 0 644 01969 7; ISSN 0084-7089).
- Arculus et al (1983) "Ophiolite-contaminated andesites, trachybasalts, and cognate inclusions of Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea: anhydrite-amphibole-bearing lavas and the 1951 cumulodome", Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, Volume 18, Issues 1-4, Pages 215-247
- Belousov (2011) "Deposits and dynamics of the 1951 pyroclastic density current of Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea", Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 13, EGU2011-9651

Significant volcanic eruptions: Lamington volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Lamington has had only one confirmed historic eruption during 1951 - 1956, but at least 2 eruptions can be inferred from geological evidence.

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

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths
1951 Jan 17 - 1956 Jul 2 ±182 d.	Historical obs./docs.	4
1951 Jan 21 (eruption 1951 Jan 17 - 1956 Jul 2 ±182 d.)	Historical obs./docs.	4	2,942	Info
1951 Jan 21: All killed in pyroclastic flows at N-flank villages. Of 40 survivors from inner zone of devastation who reached hospital, 22 died within 24 hours. (reference #1412, #9675, #10953) On 21 January 1951, a major explosive eruption at Lamington killed ~3,000 people, the most of all historical volcanic eruptions in Papua New Guinea. Before the 1951 eruption, Lamington was not known to be a volcano. The paroxysmal eruption was not a sudden happening, but had begun several days earlier when nearby residents started to see changes in the summit area. The pyroclastic flow from the eruption devastated an area of ~200 square km. Since the 1951 eruption, seismic activity has been absent to rare. Seismic records on 21 December 2000 and 17 February 2001 showed several hours of very high seismicity, but it was difficult to ascertain the cause. (reference #13306) 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. #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. #10953 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 551 p. #13306 Global Volcanism Program (2001): Report on Lamington (Papua New Guinea) (Wunderman, R., ed.). Bulletin of the Global Volcanism Network, 26:6. Smithsonian Institution. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.BGVN200106-253010 Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
4850 ±300 y. BC		?
5980 ±300 y. BC		?

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 Lamington volcano

1951 catastrophic eruption on 21 January
The eruption of Mt Lamington on Sunday 21 January 1951 was the greatest natural disaster on Australian-administered territory of Papua New Guinea. The eruption destroyed the northern half of the mountain and generated a massive pyroclastic surge, which killed more than 3500 people and destroyed dozens of villages. Survivors said "the smoke was seven miles high and the explosion was like an atom bomb or 1,000 block busters going off together" (Sydney Morning Herald, "N.G. DISASTER - DETAILS" 25 Jan 1958).

The administration was heavily accused of having ignored warnings and not reacted fast enough to prevent the scale of the disaster. The Melbourne Argus newspaper writes on its front page on 25 January 1951 "'.. they warned us too late'SAY WOMEN SURVIVORS" and reports some telephone interviews with survivors who felt that they had not been warned and informed in time. Similarly the Sydney Morning Herald's headline read "Delay in official warning criticised".
The strong demand for a public investigation of the tragedy was never granted by the administration. The District Commissioner, Mr. C. F. Cowley (who was killed during the eruption on Sunday) was quoted to have said a few days before the main explosion, "There is no loss of life nor is there any immediate danger." (Sydney Morning Herald, "N.G. DISASTER - DETAILS" 25 Jan 1958). ...more info

Lamington Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Lamington volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Lamington occurred during 1951 - 1956.

+How often does Lamington volcano erupt?

There are no known historic eruptions, but evidence from geologic records shows that it has had at least 3 eruptions over the past 10,000 years. This number is likely much higher because many past eruptions might not have left evidence recognizeable today and/or the volcano might not have been studied in too much detail. Using the available data, a very conservative estimate is that Lamington volcano erupts every 3,300 years.

+How active is Lamington volcano at present?

Lamington volcano is occasionally active: Since 1900, it has had 6 eruptions, and been active during 6 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Lamington has been in eruption one in 21 years on average. The last eruption was from 1951 until 1956 and ended 69 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Lamington volcano?

The largest eruption of Lamington volcano in historic times occurred during 1951 - 1956. It ranks as a sub-plinian eruption with a magnitude 4 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

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Lamington 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).