Mount Yasur is a
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...
on
Tanna Island
Tanna (sometimes misspelled ''Tana'') is an island in Tafea Province of Vanuatu.
Name
The name ''Tanna'', first cited by James Cook, is derived from the word ''tana'' in the Kwamera language, meaning "earth".
Etymologically, ''Tanna'' goes bac ...
,
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
, high above sea level,
on the coast near
Sulphur Bay, northeast of the taller
Mount Tukosmera
Mount Tukosmera is the tallest mountain on Tanna, Vanuatu. It is located in the southern part of the island. It was a volcano in the Pleistocene, but is no longer active, unlike Mount Yasur. The mountain has special religious significance for th ...
, which was active in the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
. It has a largely unvegetated
pyroclastic
Pyroclastic rocks (derived from the el, πῦρ, links=no, meaning fire; and , meaning broken) are clastic rocks composed of rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions. The individual rock fragments are known as pyroc ...
cone with a nearly circular summit crater 400 m in diameter.
[ It is a ]stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...
, caused by the eastward-moving Indo-Australian Plate
The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and the surrounding ocean and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and the adjacent waters. It was formed by the fusion of the Indian an ...
being subducted under the westward-moving Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At , it is the largest tectonic plate.
The plate first came into existence 190 million years ago, at the triple junction between the Farallon, Phoenix, and Iza ...
. It has been erupting nearly continuously for several hundred years, although it can usually be approached safely. Its eruptions, which often occur several times an hour, are classified as Strombolian or Vulcanian. A large lava plain creeps across the valley at the base.
The glow of the volcano was apparently what attracted Captain James Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
on the first European journey to the island in 1774. Today, the mountain is a sacred area for the John Frum
John Frum (also called Jon Frum, John Brum, and John Prum) is a mythic figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. He is often depicted as an American World War II serviceman who will bring wealth and prosperity to the ...
cargo cult
A cargo cult is an indigenist millenarian belief system, in which adherents perform rituals which they believe will cause a more technologically advanced society to deliver goods.
Causes, beliefs, and practices
Cargo cults are marked by a ...
. Members of the cult revere John Frum, a deified messenger who foretold the bringing of wealth to the island by American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
forces, and believe he resides in Mount Yasur with his countrymen. The village of Sulphur Bay, the center of the movement, claims the volcano as part of their territory.
IUGS geological heritage site
In respect of it 'erupting for more than 800 years' and being 'the ''lighthouse of the Pacific''!', the International Union of Geological Sciences
The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology.
About
The IUGS was founded in 1961 and is a Scientific Union member of the Inte ...
(IUGS) included 'The active Yasur–Yenkahe volcanic complex' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'
Access restrictions
Mount Yasur is an easily accessible active volcano, and is a major Vanuatu tourist attraction. The Vanuatu Government monitors the level of volcanic activity in the interests of the public, both tourists and locals alike. This monitoring is carried out by the Vanuatu Geo-Hazards Observatory.
The importance of the volcano to Tanna's tourism industry has resulted in the local government creating levels to alert people. These levels range from 0-5 and notes that ''An eruption may occur at any level''
References
External links
Volcanoworld site, with pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yasur, Mount
Active volcanoes
Mountains of Vanuatu
Holocene stratovolcanoes
Volcanoes of Vanuatu
Articles containing video clips
VEI-4 volcanoes
Lava lakes
First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites