Serua Volcano

Updated: May 21, 2025 13:43 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

Banda Sea (Indonesia), -6.3°S / 130°E

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Summit height: 641 m / 2,103 ft

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

Serua volcano (also known as Legatala) is one of the most active volcanoes of the Banda Sea. It forms a small 2x4 km wide island in the eastern Banda Sea, Indonesia. Andesitic Serua volcano is the tip of a stratovolcano rising 3600 m from the sea floor. It has a truncated cone formed by the Gunung Wuarlapna lava dome surrounded by a partial ring wall (somma wall) of the remnants of an older, collapsed edifice. Two old lava flows are visible on the east flank.
A permanent plume of volcanic gases is emitted from vents near the central dome (Gunung Wuarlapna), which forms the summit of Serua Island.
Active fumaroles are found in the area between Legatala and the NE part of the summit lava dome, where ground temperatures reach 97°C at 20 cm depth. Hot springs are found on the north beach.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: Explosive
Serua volcano eruptions: 1921, 1919, 1859, 1858, 1846, 1845 (?), 1844, 1694, 1693, 1692?, 1687, 1683

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
May 12, 02:48 pm (Jayapura)	4.5 178 km	20 km (12 mi) to the N	Banda Sea	Info

View recent quakes

Significant volcanic eruptions: Serua volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Serua has had at least 10 confirmed eruptions, all documented by historical records or observations. Additionally, there are 2 uncertain or discredited eruptions from Serua volcano.

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

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths
1921 Sep 18	Summit and south flank Historical obs./docs.	2
1919 Nov	Historical obs./docs.	2
1859	Historical obs./docs.	2
1858	Historical obs./docs.	2
1846 Sep	Historical obs./docs.	2
?? 1845	Uncertain Eruption	2
1844 Aug - Sep	Historical obs./docs.	2
1694 AD	Historical obs./docs.	3
1693 AD Jun 4 - Jul	Historical obs./docs.	4?
?? 1692 AD Jun 4 ?	Uncertain Eruption	?
1692 AD Jun 4 (eruption 1692 AD Jun 4 ?)	Historical obs./docs.	4	50-100 (*)	Info
1692 AD Jun 4: Many killed at Hislo on W part of the island by a stream of "burning brimstone". 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
1687 AD Jun 15	Historical obs./docs.	3
1683 AD	Historical obs./docs.	3

(*) 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

Serua Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Serua volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Serua occurred in 1921.

+How often does Serua volcano erupt?

Since 1683 AD, Serua volcano has had at least 10 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 34.2 years.

+How active is Serua volcano at present?

Serua volcano is occasionally active: Since 1900, it has had 2 eruptions, and been active during 2 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Serua has been in eruption one in 63 years on average. The last eruption was in 1921 and ended 104 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Serua volcano?

The largest eruption of Serua volcano in historic times occurred in 1693 AD. It ranks as a sub-plinian eruption with a magnitude 4 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Serua 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).