Mt Matavanu is an active volcano on the island of
Savai'i in
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
. The volcano was formed during an eruption in 1905.
Lava flows from the eruption covered a large area of land in the
Gaga'emauga district, leading to the relocation of several villages.
The name of the mountain refers to a valley (''vanu'') with an eye-shaped feature (''mata'').
In November 2022 Matavanu was recognised by the
International Union of Geological Sciences as an international Geological Heritage Site.
1905 - 1911 eruption
The eruption began on 4 August 1905, with a new crater being formed nine miles to the east of
Mata o le Afi
Mata o le Afi ("Eye of the Fire" or "Source of the Fire") is an active volcano on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. It last erupted in 1902.
1902 eruption
An eruption began on 30 October 1902. It was preceded by a series of thirteen earthquakes, wh ...
, which had erupted in 1902.
An expedition led by governor
Wilhelm Solf
Wilhelm Heinrich Solf (5 October 1862 – 6 February 1936) was a German scholar, diplomat, jurist and statesman.
Early life
Solf was born into a wealthy and liberal family in Berlin. He attended secondary schools in Anklam, western Pomerania, an ...
observed flames shooting 400 feet into the sky at intervals of ten seconds along with lava flowing through the bush.
[ An expedition to examine the crater found "a larger heap of stones about 300ft high, from the top of which, at intervals of about 10 seconds, masses of stone were being thrown up into the air".][ A lava-flow 100 feet high had flowed 2.5 miles towards the sea.][
The early phase of the eruption was mostly explosive,][ but in September large amounts of lava had begun to flow from the crater. In mid-September, the cone was estimated at 600 feet high, and lava covered 20 to 25 square miles to a depth of 300 to 400 feet. In December the village of Toapaipai was destroyed by a lava flow, By March 1906 lava had reached the sea, and was flowing parallel to the coast along the top of the reef. The villages of Salago and Sale'aula were destroyed, and the destruction of crops from volcanic fumes was causing famine.]lava lake
Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (someti ...
.[ While Jensen reported the volcano was dying down, another explosive eruption began on 5 October 1906, and lava began to flow eastwards. In June 1908 lava was reportedly flowing in a stream 8 miles wide, but by July 1908 it had quietened again. In 1910 it was described as "the most active volcano in the world".
Activity finally began to die down in early 1911, and had ceased by October 1911.
Several villages were relocated to ]Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximate ...
due to the eruption. the people of Sale'aula were relocated to Salamumu Salamumu is a village on the south west coast of Upolu island in Samoa. The village has two settlements, Salamumu Uta (population 338) and Salamumu Tai (population 33).
The village's name is derived from the words ''sala'' (fire) and ''mumu'' (pun ...
, while those of Mauga and Samalaeʻulu were moved to Le'auva'a
Le'auva'a ("the people from the boat") is a village on the island of Upolu in Samoa. The population is 3274.
Although the village, with an area of 5.558 km2, is geographically located on Upolu, the village is politically (and historically) pa ...
.[
]
IUGS geological heritage site
In respect of it being 'one of the best examples in the SW Pacific of an oceanic hot spot and its early 20th century eruption', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included 'The 1905-1911 Matavanu volcanic eruption' 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.'
Gallery
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matavanu, Mount
Mountains of Samoa
Volcanoes of Samoa
Gaga'emauga
Savai'i
First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites