ABOUT MT YASUR

Mount Yasur is an active volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu with a height of 361 m (1,184 ft) above sea level, located on the South East coast near Sulfur Bay. Mt Yasur has a largely unvegetated pyroclastic cone with a nearly-circular summit crater 400 m in diameter. It is a stratovolcano caused by the eastward-moving Indo-Australian plate being subducted under the westward-moving Pacific Plate. It has been nearly continuously erupting for centuries, although usually it can be approached safely. Its eruptions, which often occur several times an hour, are classified as Strombolian or Vulcanian.

The glow of Mt Yasur volcano was apparently what attracted Captain James Cook on the first European journey to Tanna Island in 1774. Today the mountain is a sacred area for the John Frum Cargo Cult. The cult reveres John Frum, a deified messenger who foretold the bringing of wealth to the island by American forces. They believe he resides in Mount Yasur with his countrymen. The village of Sulphur Bay, the center of the movement, claims the volcano as part of their territory.

Because of the importance of the volcano to the tourism industry in Tanna, the local government has created levels to restrict people's access:

Level 0 - Low activity, access to the crater allowed

Level 1 - Normal activity, access to the crater allowed

Level 2 - Moderate to high activity, lava bombs may land beyond the crater rim, access to the crater is closed;

Level 3 - Severe activity with loud explosions, lava bombs ejected up to hundreds of metres outside the crater and large plumes of smoke and ash, access to the summit zone is closed

Level 4 - Major eruption affecting large areas around the volcano and possibly other parts of Tanna and even neighboring islands, all access closed

Generally the level of activity does not exceed Level 1, whilst a major eruption (Level 4) is a-once-in-a-decade occurrence.