Volcanic Eruption in Papua New Guinea

Some of you may have seen the viral video of a volcanic eruption and shock wave captured on camera on August 29 in Papua New Guinea. If you haven’t seen the short clip, it is worth watching here.  Here are some interesting facts about volcanoes in PNG.

• Papua New Guinea has the most active volcanoes in the South West Pacific – 67 active volcanoes to be exact.
• Volcanoes are commonly caused by movement of tectonic plates which allow the release of heat to escape to the surface.
• Papua New Guinea is part of the “Ring of Fire” which is a continuous series of tectonic plates frequently in motion.
• The Ring of Fire experiences 90% of the world’s earthquakes and 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes.

It is very unlikely that we will experience any kind of volcanic activity at the center in Ukarumpa. The closest volcano is 72 miles away, but hasn’t erupted in the last 10,000 years.