Hankow Reef
Stratovolcano in Papua New Guinea
Key Facts
Elevation
-5 m (-16 ft)
Type
Stratovolcano
Location
-4.883°, 146.717°
Region
Bismarck Volcanic Arc
Rock Type
No Data (checked)
Tectonic Setting
Subduction zone
Location
Loading map...
Overview
Oral tradition suggests the possible existence of a now-submerged volcano off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Accounts from many villages along the Madang coast report that residents fled from Yomba Island 8-10 generations ago, when the island was destroyed by an eruption accompanied by a tsunami. The location of the former island is uncertain, but most informants placed it in the vicinity of the present-day Hankow Reef (Mennis, 1981), between Bagabag and Crown Islands, NW of Long Island.
Binns et al. (2002) surveyed the area, locating two distinct seamounts as well as a caldera SW of the reef; they found no evidence for the existence of the legendary Yomba volcano.
Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
- Pyroclastic flows
- Lava flows
- Volcanic bombs and ballistics
- Lahars and mudflows
Risk Level
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Tectonic Setting
Age & Formation
Eruption Statistics & Analysis
| Metric | Value | Global Ranking | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recorded Eruptions | Unknown | Low | Moderately active volcano |
| Maximum VEI | VEI Unknown | Minor | Local impact potential |
| Recent Activity | Unknown | Historical | Historically active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Nearby Volcanoes in Southwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions
Quick Info
- •Smithsonian ID: 251041
- •Evidence: Evidence Uncertain
- •Epoch: Holocene
About the Photo
Hankow Reef is partially truncated just below the upper left corner of the cloud-covered portion of this NASA Landsat composite image (with north to the top). The possible existence of a now-submerged volcano named Yomba off the coast of Papua New Guinea is inferred from oral tradition and is considered to likely be at the location of Hankow Reef. The reef lies SE of Bagabag Island (upper left) and NW of Long Island, the larger island at the lower right. Crown Island lies beneath the cloud cover between Long Island and Hankow Reef.
NASA Landsat 7 image (worldwind.arc.nasa.gov)
Authority Sources
Related Volcanoes
Basic Information
This page shows basic data from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. For more detailed information, visit the official Smithsonian page.