Volcano in Vanuatu
Ambrym volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Ambrym is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 2018 (NOAA NCEI). Note: 3 satellite hot spots within 10 km in the latest FIRMS data.
Live status of Ambrym: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- 1964 or later last significant: 2018
- Elevation
- 1,334 m 4,377 ft
- Type
- Pyroclastic shield
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 3 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Suva 1114 km ESE
Is Ambrym erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Ambrym right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 2018. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
NASA FIRMS shows 3 thermal hot spots within 10 km of the summit in the latest VIIRS satellite passes (strongest 8.9 MW fire radiative power). Hot spots on a volcano can be lava, a glowing vent or ordinary vegetation fires; satellites cannot tell them apart on their own.
Earthquakes near Ambrym
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Ambrym in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.6 on Sep 29, 2026, 17 km SSW of the summit at 197 km depth.
0 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 15:20 UTC | M4.6 | 17 km SSW | 197 km | 73 km ESE of Lakatoro, Vanuatu |
About Ambrym
Ambrym is a pyroclastic shield in Vanuatu-SW Pacific, Vanuatu, rising to 1,334 m (4,377 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Shield volcanoes have broad, gentle slopes built by fluid lava flows; eruptions are usually effusive (lava fountains and flows) rather than explosive.
The volcano is remote: the nearest city in our list is Suva, 1114 km away.
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Brisbane, 1979 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
Other volcanoes in Vanuatu
Vanuatu has 9 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now, 1 of them with an open NASA activity report today. The closest other one is Lopevi, 37 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Vanuatu
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.