Ambrym Volcano
Ambrym Volcano is one of the most beautiful and dangerous volcanoes on the planet, located on the island of the same name in the Republic of Vanuatu. The picturesque island is located in the center of the remote archipelago of the New Hebrides. It is washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Coral Sea on the other.
Video: Ambrym Volcano
%General Information
The island is triangular in shape and is a huge shield-shaped basalt volcano rising to a height of 1,334 meters. The Ambrym volcano lies at the junction of two lithospheric plates and is therefore characterized by high volcanic activity. The caldera of the ancient volcano measures 8 by 12 meters and occupies the central part of the island. It is flanked by two large craters, Benbow (1159 m) and Marum (1270 m), as well as several smaller craters.
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Nowadays, lava lakes bubble around the clock in the large craters. They are of great interest to scientists, as Ambrym Volcano is one of the few volcanoes on the planet where active lava lakes can be observed. The lava movements in Maruma are clearly visible from the crater rim on a clear day. The glowing lake at Benbow can be seen from an airplane.
.The vast plain around the ancient crater consists of lifeless lava fields. The rest of the island is generously fertilized with volcanic ash and covered with fertile soils with lush vegetation. The best time to visit here is considered the dry season, which lasts from July to October.
History of eruptions
About a thousand years ago, there was a violent eruption of the Ambrym volcano. The powerful explosion threw about 30 km³ of rock into the air. Chunks of rock and lava rose to a height of 7 km, and the resulting cloud of dust and gases changed the Earth’s climate for several years.
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For the last few centuries, volcanic activity has been going on unabated. Since 1774, 48 major eruptions have been recorded at Ambrym Volcano. A major eruption occurred in 1913. Then the element killed several hundred islanders and formed a new fault that stretched across the island. In 2011, the volcano ejected a column of gases to a height of 3 kilometers.
.How to get there
The Ambrym volcano and the island of the same name are 1200 km from the Australian continent and 170 km from Port Vila, the capital of the island nation of Vanuatu. The road to Ambrym is not easy. First from Port Vila airport travelers make a flight to the airport “Santo-Pekoa”, which is located in the city of Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo, and from there by plane to fly to the island of Ambrym. Flights are received by two island airports, Craig Cove and Ulei.
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