Volcanoes by country

Vanuatu

Volcanoes in Vanuatu

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 14 volcanoes in Vanuatu. This page brings together the map, report status, eruption history and the surroundings of every single volcano. None of them currently has a running eruption report.

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Earthquakes · Vanuatu
With a current report
None No current eruption report
Volcanoes in the catalogue
14
Documented eruptions
71
Highest volcano
1,496 mAmbae
Last documented eruption
2026Ambae

Map

Volcano map of Vanuatu

Every volcano in the country with plate boundaries, air traffic within 50 km, airports and nuclear power plants. Earthquakes can be added on top.

Map layers

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Markers show the catalogue position of a volcano, not the extent of a hazard zone. Plate boundaries after Bird (2003), PB2002.

All volcanoes in Vanuatu

Sorted by report status and elevation. Every entry opens the full volcano profile.

Volcano catalogue
  1. Ambae No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    1,496 m
    Last eruption
    2026
    Eruptions
    8
  2. Lopevi No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,413 m
    Last eruption
    2007
    Eruptions
    8
  3. Ambrym No current eruption report
    Type
    Pyroclastic shield
    Elevation
    1,334 m
    Last eruption
    2024
    Eruptions
    8
  4. Suretamatai No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic complex
    Elevation
    921 m
    Last eruption
    1966
    Eruptions
    4
  5. East Epi No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    833 m
    Last eruption
    2023
    Eruptions
    8
  6. Traitor's Head No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    817 m
    Last eruption
    1881
    Eruptions
    2
  7. Gaua No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    729 m
    Last eruption
    2022
    Eruptions
    8
  8. Nguna-Emau No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    589 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  9. Motlav No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    411 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    —
  10. Yasur No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    361 m
    Last eruption
    2026
    Eruptions
    3
  11. Hunter Island No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    297 m
    Last eruption
    1903
    Eruptions
    6
  12. Matthew Island No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    177 m
    Last eruption
    1956
    Eruptions
    7
  13. Kuwae No current eruption report
    Type
    Caldera
    Elevation
    -2 m
    Last eruption
    1974
    Eruptions
    8
  14. Gemini-Oscostar No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    -33 m
    Last eruption
    1996
    Eruptions
    1

“Last eruption” is a catalogue record, not evidence of activity in progress.

Significant volcanic eruptions in Vanuatu

Eruptions with fatalities, damage or high explosivity from the NOAA NCEI database of significant volcanic eruptions.

  1. 1870 Ambae VEI 2 100 Deaths Damage: severe (roughly 5–24 million USD)
  2. 1914 Ambae 100 Deaths
  3. 1913 Ambrym VEI 3 21 Deaths Damage: severe (roughly 5–24 million USD)
  4. 1894 Ambrym VEI 3 10 Deaths
  5. 2018 Ambae VEI 3 4 Deaths Damage: moderate (roughly 1–5 million USD)
  6. 1995 Yasur VEI 3 2 Deaths
  7. 1994 Yasur VEI 3 1 Deaths
  8. 50 Ambrym VEI 6
  9. 2017 Ambae VEI 3 Damage: limited (below 1 million USD)
  10. 1878 Yasur VEI 3 Damage: limited (below 1 million USD) Tsunami
  11. 2018 Ambrym VEI 2 Damage: moderate (roughly 1–5 million USD)
  12. 1958 Kuwae VEI 2 Tsunami
  13. 1670 Ambae VEI 2 Deaths: many (roughly 101–1000)
  14. 2023 East Epi VEI 1 Tsunami
  15. 1901 East Epi Deaths: few (roughly 1–50) Damage: moderate (roughly 1–5 million USD) Tsunami
  16. 1878 Yasur Tsunami
  17. 1863 Yasur Deaths: many (roughly 101–1000) Tsunami
  18. 1430 Kuwae Deaths: many (roughly 101–1000)

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 58

VEI 0
17
VEI 1
15
VEI 2
22
VEI 3
4
VEI 4
0
VEI 5
0
VEI 6
0

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) runs from 0 (effusive) to 8 (super-eruptive). Each step stands for roughly ten times the erupted mass.

Eruptions per century

1700–1799
1
1800–1899
9
1900–1999
30
2000–2099
28

Documented eruptions since 1500. Earlier centuries are recorded less completely, so a rise also reflects better observation.

Earthquakes near volcanoes – Vanuatu

4 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in Vanuatu.

Earthquakes · Vanuatu
  • M5.2 Sanma Sep 13, 2026, 7:19 AM UTC · Depth: 135 km 46.7 km Ambae
  • M4.9 Tafea Sep 11, 2026, 2:28 AM UTC · Depth: 19 km 25.3 km Traitor's Head
  • M4.6 Ipota Sep 5, 2026, 11:46 PM UTC · Depth: 240 km 15.7 km Traitor's Head
  • M4.4 Sanma Sep 5, 2026, 12:55 PM UTC · Depth: 166 km 43.8 km Gaua

Spatial proximity does not establish a volcanic origin. Many events in volcanic regions are tectonic.

Tectonic setting and volcano types

What the volcanic landscape of Vanuatu is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Subduction zone / Intermediate crust (15-25 km)11
  • Subduction zone / Crustal thickness unknown2
  • Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)1

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano10
  • Shield volcano1
  • Pyroclastic shield1
  • Volcanic complex1
  • Caldera1

Infrastructure within 100 km

Airports with scheduled service and nuclear power plant sites near a volcano in Vanuatu.

Airports 16

  • Tongoa Airport7.4 km · TGH
  • Sola Airport9.2 km · SLH
  • Tavie Airport14.4 km · PBJ
  • Walaha Airport15.6 km · WLH
  • Longana Airport16.9 km · LOD
  • Craig Cove Airport21.0 km · CCV
  • Lamen Bay Airport21.7 km · LNB
  • Whitegrass Airport24.9 km · TAH
  • Valesdir Airport26.0 km · VLS
  • Bauerfield International Airport27.7 km · VLI
  • Sara Airport35.2 km · SSR
  • Lamap Airport38.9 km · LPM

Nuclear power plants 0

No site from the included datasets lies within this radius.

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts.

Volcanoes in profile – Vanuatu

Short descriptions of the country's best-known volcanoes.

Ambae

Shield volcano · 1,496 m · Last eruption: 2026

Manaro Voui, or Manaro Vui, is a shield volcano whose emergent portion is known as the island of Ambae in Vanuatu. The summit is 1,496 metres (4,908 ft) above sea level and about 3,900 m (12,800 ft) above the sea floor. According to indigenous custom Chief Virenaliu Paul Vuhu, the summit's valley and lakes are considered the "sacred place and paradise" where they believe after death, their spirits go to live happily ever after'. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department maintains a live webcam and seismological chart.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Lopevi

Stratovolcano · 1,413 m · Last eruption: 2007

Lopevi is an uninhabited island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu. It lies to the southeast of Ambrym and east of Paama.

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Ambrym

Pyroclastic shield · 1,334 m · Last eruption: 2024

Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. It is located near the center of the archipelago of Vanuatu, and also hosts one of the most active volcanoes in the world, which includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit. It is currently the least populous island in the country.

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East Epi

Stratovolcano · 833 m · Last eruption: 2023

East of the Vanuatu island of Epi can be found a series of active underwater volcanic cones and a caldera which last erupted in 2023. These series of submarine volcanoes are generally referred as East Epi, and the 3 bigger cones have specific names, from west to east, Epi-A, Epi-B and Epi-C. All of these cones have had intermittent activity in this and the last century.

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Gaua

Stratovolcano · 729 m · Last eruption: 2022

Gaua is the largest and second most populous of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in northern Vanuatu. It covers 342 km2.

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Motlav

Stratovolcano · 411 m · Last eruption: Not available

Mota Lava or Motalava is an island of the Banks group, in the north of Vanuatu. It forms a single coral system with the small island of Ra.

Open profile Read on Wikipedia

Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in Vanuatu

How many volcanoes are there in Vanuatu?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 14 volcanoes in Vanuatu. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in Vanuatu is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Ambae at 1,496 m.
When was the last documented eruption in Vanuatu?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 2026 (Ambae).
Are the volcanoes in Vanuatu active?
None of the 14 volcanoes currently has an eruption report. That does not mean they are extinct – source coverage differs from volcano to volcano.
Why does the map show aircraft around volcanoes?
Volcanic ash endangers aircraft engines. The map therefore shows live positions within 50 km of a volcano so that the proximity of air traffic to an active volcano becomes visible.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Catalogue data and eruption history from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, significant eruptions from NOAA NCEI, alert levels and bulletins from USGS, GeoNet and INGV, earthquakes from the QuakeMap24 database, flight positions from ADSB.lol.

Volcanoes in other countries

Countries with at least 5 volcanoes in the catalogue.

All countries with volcanoes

Sources and data dates

Everything shown comes from the public sources listed below and is updated automatically.

QuakeMap24 is not a warning authority. Follow the responsible authorities when making local decisions.