Smithsonian Institution
Global Volcanism Network Bulletin v. 20, no. 5, May 1995

Rabaul (Papua New Guinea)  Slow deflation and weak vapor emissions;
      earthquakes N of the caldera

Rabaul
New Britain, Papua New Guinea
4.27S, 152.20E; summit elev. 688 m

"There was no eruptive activity at Tavurvur in May. Since 16 April
only weak white vapour emissions have been seen from Tavurvur's
summit area. This trend of low activity was confirmed by the
seismicity in May. During the month only 16 low-frequency
earthquakes were recorded. These earthquakes were not associated
with activity at Tavurvur, and appear to originate immediately N of
the caldera. Nineteen high-frequency earthquakes were recorded,
compared to 6 in April. Eleven of these occurred on the 17th and
were located outside the caldera, 1-3 km to the N. Most of the
other located events occurred SSW of the caldera. Electronic tilt
measurements from the station on Matupit Island continued to show
a slow deflationary trend."

Information Contacts: same as for Manam.