Yasur Volcano

Updated: Jun 15, 2025 07:05 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

Tanna Island, Vanuatu, -19.53°S / 169.44°E

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Summit height: 361 m (1,184 ft)

Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)

Last update: 4 Jun 2025 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Strombolian activity at Yasur volcano

Yasur is the most well known volcanoes of Vanuatu and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Yasur is known for its spectacular persistent strombolian activity that consists of regular small to violent explosions from one or several vents.

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Typical eruption style: persistent strombolian activity
Yasur volcano eruptions: ongoing since at least AD 1774 (but likely many centuries before)

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Jun 5, 08:55 pm (GMT +11)	3? 26 km	8.2 km (5.1 mi) to the NE	Vanuatu Islands (unconfirmed)	Info

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Background

Yasur, the best-known and most frequently visited of the Vanuatu volcanoes, has been in more-or-less continuous strombolian and vulcanian activity since Captain Cook observed ash eruptions in 1774. This style of activity may have continued for the past 800 years. Yasur, located at the SE tip of Tanna Island, is a mostly unvegetated 361-m-high pyroclastic cone with a nearly circular, 400-m-wide summit crater. Yasur is largely contained within the small Yenkahe caldera and is the youngest of a group of Holocene volcanic centers constructed over the down-dropped NE flank of the Pleistocene Tukosmeru volcano. The Yenkahe horst is located within the Siwi ring fracture, a 4-km-wide, horseshoe-shaped caldera associated with eruption of the andesitic Siwi pyroclastic sequence. Active tectonism along the Yenkahe horst accompanying eruptions of Yasur has raised Port Resolution harbor more than 20 m during the past century.
(source: Global Volcansim Project)

Yasur Volcano Photos

Exploding lava bubble at an active vent in the crater of Yasur volcano, Vanuatu (Sep 2014) (Photo: Walter Reis)

Crater rim of Yasur volcano, Vanuatu (Sep 2014) (Photo: Walter Reis)

Eruption at Yasur volcano, Vanuatu (Sep 2014) (Photo: Walter Reis)

The erupting crater of Yasur volcano under a moon- and starlit sky. The torch of a distant observer on the opposite rim looks like a second moon. (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Yasur volcano

No historic eruptions are known from Yasur volcano, but evidence from at least 5 eruptions during the past 10,000 years can be found in the geological record.

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

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
1270 ±110 y. AD - ongoing		3
1995 Feb 4 (eruptive episode 1774 Jan 01 - 2010 Dec 31)	Historical obs./docs.	3	2		Info
1995 Feb 4: During October 1993, a telemetered surveillance station registered variations in the seismicity at Yasur. The station is located 2 km from the crater on the ashflow plain. Seismicity (detected at five stations) generally increased from October 1993 to January 1994, corresponding to renewed eruptive activity. Very strong activity from January 1994 to January 1995 (comparable to 1976-77) ejected bombs in a radius of ~400 m from the crater rim. Ashfall measured at the surveillance station totaled ~12 cm during January-October 1994. Seismicity remained high throughout 1994, then declined after January 1995. Because Yasur is very accessible, it has been promoted as a tourist destination, resulting in a greater number of visitors and greater risk of accidents. In mid-January 1994 and early February 1995, when activity began to decline, there were two accidents with three victims. In one incident, two visitors on the crater rim died when they were struck by a 15 kg bomb ejected from the vent. (reference #2432) Two visitors on the crater rim died when they were struck by a 15 kg bomb ejected from the vent. (reference #9675) Cited references #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/). #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. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1994 Jan 15 (eruptive episode 1774 Jan 01 - 2010 Dec 31)	Historical obs./docs.	3	1		Info
1994 Jan 15: During October 1993, a telemetered surveillance station registered variations in the seismicity at Yasur. The station is located 2 km from the crater on the ashflow plain. Seismicity (detected at five stations) generally increased from October 1993 to January 1994, corresponding to renewed eruptive activity. Very strong activity from January 1994 to January 1995 (comparable to 1976-77) ejected bombs in a radius of ~400 m from the crater rim (figure 4). Ashfall measured at the surveillance station totaled ~12 cm during January-October 1994. Seismicity remained high throughout 1994, then declined after January 1995. Because Yasur is very accessible, it has been promoted as a tourist destination, resulting in a greater number of visitors and greater risk of accidents. In mid-January 1994 and early February 1995, when activity began to decline, there were two accidents with three victims. (reference #2432) Cited references #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/). #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. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1878 Feb 11 (eruptive episode 1878 Feb 11)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	0			Info
1878 Feb 11: Reference #414: 1878, February 11. There was an even stronger earthquake on Tanna Island with the formation of a large sea wave... According to Sapper, the volcano began to erupt on February 9 until the 11th. Reference #79: 1878, February 11. Quake and eruption of Yasowa volcano, Tanna island. Cited references #79 Iida, Kumizi, Doak C. Cox, and George Pararas-Carayannis (1967): Preliminary Catalog of Tsunamis Occurring in the Pacific Ocean, HIG-67-10, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 275 p. Bibliography to the Preliminary Catalog of Tsunamis Occurring in the Pacific Ocean, December 1967, 27 p. #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.] Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1878 Jan 10 (eruptive episode 1878 Jan 10)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	3		light	Info
1878 Jan 10: Reference #414: 1878, January 10 at 10:00 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake on Tanna Island; the subsequent tremors lasted four weeks. A new pit of crater formed near the "sulphur bay" [in Sapper's unlikely opinion, this was the result of a volcanic explosion]. Reference #79: 1878, January 10. New Hebrides. Quake and eruption, new crater Yasowa volcano, Tanna Island, 19.5 S, 169.4 E... Sapper does not mention quake. Milne and Sieberg do not mention eruption. Cited references #79 Iida, Kumizi, Doak C. Cox, and George Pararas-Carayannis (1967): Preliminary Catalog of Tsunamis Occurring in the Pacific Ocean, HIG-67-10, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, 275 p. Bibliography to the Preliminary Catalog of Tsunamis Occurring in the Pacific Ocean, December 1967, 27 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. #1686 Latter, J.H. (1981): Tsunamis of volcanic origin; summary of causes with particular reference to Krakatoa, 1883, Bulletin Volcanologique, Vol. 44, p. 467-490. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1863 Aug 17 (eruptive episode 1863 Aug 17)	Tsunami recorded Historical obs./docs.	0	100-1,000 (*)		Info
1863 Aug 17: Reference #414: 1863, August 17. There was a weak underground shock which passed almost unnoticed, at Noumea (Port de France) in New Caledonia on the 15th at 19:30. There was a more perceptible shock on the 17th at 2O:00. It considerably disturbed the instruments at the astronomical observatory. The crosslines of the tubes of the transit instrument after the shock experienced spasmodic oscillations which were larger north-south than east-west. Then came news that the shocks may have been connected with an eruption of the volcano on Tanna Island. The news was delivered to the Vagap post office by a small English schooner, which had been situated near the volcano at the time of the eruptions. According to the captain, lava covered half the island, causing numerous victims among the population. Cited references #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.] Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
708 ±169 y. AD - 1273 ±111 y.		?
1150 ? AD		2
550 ? AD		?
434 ±90 y. AD		?

(*) 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

Yasur Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Yasur volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Yasur began around 1270 AD and is continuing (as of June 2025).

+When was the largest eruption of Yasur volcano?

The largest eruption known from the younger geological history of Yasur volcano occurred in 1150 AD. It only has a VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) of , likely because it was a mainly effusive eruption generating lava flows but very little ash.

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Yasur Volcano Tours

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Yasur 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).