Lopevi is a stratovolcano located in Vanuatu, rising to an elevation of 1,413 meters within an intermediate crustal tectonic setting (15–25 km depth) along a subduction zone. According to the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, the volcano has a recorded history of 30 confirmed eruptions spanning from the 19th century CE through the 21st century CE.
Overview of Recorded Eruptions
The official chronological record for Lopevi captures confirmed eruptive episodes beginning with the earliest recorded year of 1863 and extending up to the latest recorded eruption starting on April 21, 2007, with activity ending on May 14, 2007. Across the structured historical record, 28 eruptions feature observations detailing the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), with the largest recorded VEI reaching 3.0.
Historical activity is distributed across three centuries in the official record:
- 19th century CE: 6 confirmed eruptions, beginning with the July 2, 1863 event (VEI 2.0).
- 20th century CE: 18 confirmed eruptions, including events spanning multiple years or months such as the January 27, 1967 to March 31, 1969 eruption at the summit and northwest flank, which reached a VEI of 3.0.
- 21st century CE: 6 confirmed eruptions, including an eruption from June 8, 2003 to June 16, 2003 (VEI 3.0) and the April 21, 2007 to May 14, 2007 eruption (VEI 2.0).
Image credits
- Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC — Wikimedia Commons source — Public domain
Sources and further context
Official datasets support the event-specific facts.