Gaua Volcano

Updated: Nov 9, 2025 02:29 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

Vanuatu, -14.27°S / 167.5°E

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Summit height: 797 m / 2,615 ft

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

Last update: 25 Sep 2025 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Gaua is one of the most remote and most active volcanoes of the Vanuatu archipel, located on the island with the same name in the West Banks island group atht enorthern end of the archipelago. Its most recent eruption started in Sep 2009 from Mt Garet inside the caldera lake and is ongoing (as of April 2010).

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Typical eruption style: explosive, ash eruptions
Gaua volcano eruptions: July 1962, 1963, Sep 1965, 1966, Jul 1967, 1968, Sep 1969, May 1971, Oct 1973 - Jan 1974, Jan 1976, April 1977, 1980, July 1981, April 1982, Sep 2009 - ongoing

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Background

The roughly 20-km-diameter Gaua Island, also known as Santa Maria, consists of a basaltic-to-andesitic stratovolcano with an 6 x 9 km wide summit caldera. Small parasitic vents near the caldera rim fed Pleistocene lava flows that reached the coast on several sides of the island; several littoral cones were formed where these lava flows reached the sea.
Quiet collapse that formed the roughly 700-m-deep caldera was followed by extensive ash eruptions. Construction of the historically active cone of Mount Garat (Gharat) and other small cinder cones in the SW part of the caldera has left a crescent-shaped caldera lake. The symmetrical, flat-topped Mount Garat cone is topped by three pit craters. The onset of eruptive activity from a vent high on the SE flank of Mount Garat in 1962 ended a long period of dormancy. (Source: GVP)

Significant volcanic eruptions: Gaua volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Gaua has had at least 18 confirmed eruptions, all documented by historical records or observations.

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

Date	Note	VEI
2022 May 3	Mt. Garet Historical obs./docs.	1
2021 Nov 16	Mt. Garet Historical obs./docs.	1
2011 Sep 17 - Oct 10	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	1
2009 Sep 27 - 2010 Jun 19	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1982 Apr 18	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1981 Jul 9	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	1?
1980 Jul 2 ±182 d.	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	1?
1977 Apr 13	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1976 Jan 15 ±5 d.	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1973 Oct 9 - 1974 Jan 21	Mt. Garat (upper SE flank) Historical obs./docs.	2
1971 May 12 - May 13	Mt. Garat (upper SE flank) Historical obs./docs.	2
1969 Sep 22	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1968 Jul 2 ±182 d. - Dec 1 ±30 d.	Mt. Garat (upper SE flank) Historical obs./docs.	2
1967 Jul 16 ±15 d.	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1966 Jul 2 ±182 d.	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2
1965 Sep 27 - Sep 30 or later	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	3
1963 Sep 15 ±5 d. - Nov 9 or later	Mt. Garat (upper SE flank) Historical obs./docs.	2
1962 Jul 16 ±15 d.	Mt. Garat Historical obs./docs.	2?

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

Gaua Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Gaua volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Gaua occurred in 2022.

+How often does Gaua volcano erupt?

There are no known historic eruptions, but evidence from geologic records shows that it has had at least 18 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 Gaua volcano erupts every 556 years.

+How active is Gaua volcano at present?

Gaua volcano is relatively active: Since 1900, it has had 20 eruptions, and been active during 20 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Gaua has been in eruption one in 6.3 years on average. The last eruption was in 2022 and ended 4 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Gaua volcano?

The largest eruption of Gaua volcano in historic times occurred in 1965. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Gaua 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).