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Savai'i Volcano | John Seach
Savai'i, Samoa
13.61 S, 172.52 E
summit elevation
1858 m
shield volcano
Matavanu cone is located on the side of Savai'i volcano. Volcanic tsunamis formed in 1906-07 when lava reached the sea. The eruption nearly wiped out the entire population of villages bordering Saleaula.
1905-06 Lava Flow
The lava flow at Savai'i volcano in 1905-06 occurred in the northeastern side of the
island and came from a new crater which formed a couple of miles
to the north of Mt. Pule (crater lake) on the mountain slopes. The new crater was seven or eight miles from the sea in the shortest direction. sea. The new crater was located at an altitude
of 2,000 feet. South and east of its crater are remnants of older
craters, and north of it are a couple of small cones, about a thousand
feet high, which have perfect craters and are composed of lava
cinders.
The volume of lava erupted from the crater at Savai'i volcano covered an area of about thirty square miles and flowed from the vent in a northeasterly direction. What was previously a deep valley only a few hundred feet above sea level, subsequently formed a lava ridge 1,500 feet in altitude. The captain of the steamer Maori, who periodically visited the island, said he could see an appreciable difference in the altitude of the ridge at each trip.
Most of Savai'i lava flowed to the sea through tubes, which were evident by the emission of gases above ground level. Littoral explosions occurred at the lava ocean entry every few minutes. Lava entered the sea over a distance of several miles. A large quantity of fish and coral was killed. Lava filled the water between the shore and the coral reef and built a peninsula several miles in length.
Further reading
Cronin, S.J., Bonte-Grapentin, M. and Nemeth, K., 2006. Samoa technical report-Review of volcanic hazard maps for Savai'i and Upolu.
Anderson, T., 1910. The volcano of Matavanu in Savaii. Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, 66(1-4), pp.621-639.
Savai'i Volcano Eruptions
1905-11, 1902, 1725