Mount Yasur, an Active Volcano
Mount Yasur is an active volcano on Tana Island, Vanuatu with a height of 361 m above sea level, located on the coast near Sulphur Bay, that lies to the southeast of the taller mountain Tukosumera, which was active in the Plesistocene. It has a largely unvegetated pyroclastic cone with nearly a circular summit crater of 400 m in diameter. It is a stratovolcano caused by the eastward-moving Indo-Australian Plate being sub-ducted under the westward-moving Pacific plate. It has been erupting continuously for over 800 years, Mount Yasur can usually be approached safely. Its eruptions, which often occur several times an hour, are classified as Strombolian. the longitude and latitude of mt. yasur are 19.53° s, 169.442° e. Mount Yasur is a Cinder Cone, explosive volcano that in fact is placed along the Pacific Ring of Fire, and has been continuously erupting since 1774. However only 10 of these eruptions since Oct. 26 actually did some damage by effecting the weather or humans. When Yasur erupts often times what happens is Molten Rocks, Dust, Gas, Pyroclastic, Ash and most of all Lava shoots out. Mt Yasur was discovered by Captain James Cook, in 1774 he was out on his first European journey out to this island and apparently what attracted him was the firey glow of the explosion. Some interesting facts about Mt. Yasur is that it’s most active through late February and April during the wet season. A lot of rain means a higher groundwater level, possible allowing water to come into contact with hot rocks around the magma chamber. Three people have been killed over the years because they wandered to lower, unsafe areas. Mt Yasur has been called “the lighthouse of the pacific” because the more-or-less continuous Strombolian and volcanic activity since Cook’s first sighting. The