ABSTRACT
Vanuatu (formerly called the New Hebrides Islands) is a line of volcanic islands and submarine volcanoes 2,300km east of north-east Australia. There are 13 main islands, 9 of which are home to active volcanoes. Present day volcanism is related to the north-eastward directed subduction of the Australian Plate beneath the edge of the Pacific Plate. The two plates converge at a rate of about 9cm/year. A divergent plate boundary (called a spreading centre or spreading axis) is east of Vanuatu (Monzier et al, 1997). The main active volcanoes are: Yasur volcano, one of the world’s most active with Strombolian eruptions occurring many times per hour; Lopevi volcano, a perfect volcanic cone located in a beautiful South Pacific setting; Amrbym volcano, with a large caldera including two cones with lava lake; and Gaua volcano, with one of the world’s most colourful and scenic multi-coloured summits and a crater lake which creates an unforgettable landscape. Ambae volcano erupted in December 2005 after being dormant for 120 years (Seach, 2009).
