Volcano in Papua New Guinea
Ulawun volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Ulawun is being reported right now Last eruption: 1964 or later; last significant eruption 2019 (NOAA NCEI). Note: 2 satellite hot spots within 10 km in the latest FIRMS data.
Live status of Ulawun: 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: 2019
- Elevation
- 2,334 m 7,658 ft
- Type
- Stratovolcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 1 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 2 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Port Moresby 674 km SW
Is Ulawun erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Ulawun right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1964 or later, and the last eruption in its significant-eruption database was in 2019. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
NASA FIRMS shows 2 thermal hot spots within 10 km of the summit in the latest VIIRS satellite passes (strongest 1.5 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 Ulawun
USGS located 1 earthquake within 50 km of Ulawun in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.6 on Oct 4, 2026, 10 km ESE of the summit at 162 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 11:09 UTC | M4.6 | 10 km ESE | 162 km | 125 km SW of Kokopo, Papua New Guinea |
About Ulawun
Ulawun is a stratovolcano in New Britain-SW Pac, Papua New Guinea, rising to 2,334 m (7,658 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Stratovolcanoes are steep cones built from alternating lava and ash layers; their eruptions are often explosive, with ash columns that can reach cruising altitude.
The volcano is remote: the nearest city in our list is Port Moresby, 674 km away.
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Brisbane, 2491 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 Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea has 16 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 Lolobau, 24 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Papua New Guinea
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.