Volcanos on the Solomon Islands
At 3 volcanos on the Solomon Islands there have been a total of 7 siginificant eruptions over the past 2000 years. Over 1000 people were killed. The worst volcanic eruption in terms of deaths, destroyed houses and financial damages happened on 01/01/1568 at the volcano "Savo".3 of 5 volcanos on the Solomon Islands are considered as still active. Additionally there is 1 active submarine volcano off the coast.
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Significant volcanic eruptions on the Solomon Islands over the past 2000 years
The following list shows all volcanoes of the last 2000 years with significant damage. The column "VEI" stands for the volcano explosivity index, which represents the strength of the eruption from a geological point of view. This takes into account the height and volume of the rocks ejected. The scale ranges from 0-8, with the severity of the outbreak increasing tenfold with each value. For example, a VEI of 1 means that the volcano throws lava and rock masses of 100,000 to 1 million cubic metres up to 1 kilometre high. From VEI 8 a volcano is considered a super volcano. Here, more than 1000 cubic kilometers of tephra are thrown to altitudes of more than 25 kilometers.The highest explosivity index on the Solomon Islands was reached in the review period at VEI 3 in 1966. The volcano Tinakula threw tephramasses of at least 10 million cubic meters over 3 kilometers high. Volcanoes of this size can theoretically erupt at this intensity every year.
| Eruption | Volcano | VEI | Deaths | Total damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09/06/1971 | Tinakula | 2 | 0 | |
| 01/13/1966 | Tinakula | 3 | 0 | |
| 01/01/1951 | Kavachi | 2 | 0 | |
| 03/26/1897 | Tinakula | 2 | 0 | |
| 01/01/1840 | Savo | 3 | 0 | |
| 01/01/1840 | Tinakula | 3 | 0 | |
| 01/01/1568 | Savo | 3 | 1001 |
All volcanos on the Solomon Islands
| Volcano | Elevation | Status | Last eruption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tinakula | 650 m | Active | |
| Simbo | 312 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Savo | 510 m | Active | 01/01/1840 |
| Paraza Sulfur Field | 800 m | Solfatara stage | |
| Kovachi | Active |
These statistics are based on datas from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP), and the Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database of the National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA) / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS) doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH. Several data have been summarized and translated.