Vanuatu, an archipelago of 83 islands, is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, where two of the earth's tectonic plates meet and cause significant volcanic and other tectonic activity. Yasur volcano on Tanna Island is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world: Although it is active year-round, it is unusual for it to be too active to approach. Because it has erupted in different ways over the years, Yasur is made up of different types of rocks and is thus called a strato-volcano. Yasur is one of the world's most active volcanoes. It is known as the Lighthouse of the Pacific because of its regular eruptions for hundreds of years. The volcano is located on Tanna Island in southern Vanuatu. It lies on a subduction zone at the boundary of the Indo-Australia and Pacific tectonic plates. John Seach has been visiting Yasur for over 10 years and is an acknowledged authority on the volcano. Join one of our exciting three day adventure tours to the volcano. Departures every day of the year. Vanuatu is located in the south west Pacific. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. The 83 islands were formed by volcanic activity over millions of years. Flights to Vanuatu operate from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Solomon Islands. The country has been rated as the happiest place on earth. Friendly people, sustainable economy and good services make Vanuatu a delight to visit. Yasur volcano consists of a pyroclastic cone and ash plain. The active cone is located within the Yenkahe caldera. The volcano slopes are composed of grey unconsolidated ash and ejecta. The prevailing SE trade winds deposit fine ashfall over most of Tanna Island. The first written records of Yasur eruptions date to Cook's visit in 1774.
Yasur is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It's been erupting every few minutes for at least 800 years. The eruptions typically start with an impressive shock wave that travels up the side of the crater, disturbing the smoke & dust. When you see this, you know that about a half second later, the show is about to begin. The next thing is a huge explosion of molten chunks of rock. These lava bombs are shot out at high speed and travel several hundreds of meters through the air. During the day, they are dark and tough to see but at night, they are brilliant orange. They can be as large as a washing machine and are often hurled well outside of the crater and past the pathway that circles the crater rim. The last phase of the eruption sends a huge, billowing cloud of volcanic ash high into the air like an atomic bomb. The wind typically carries it away and dissipates the ash cloud. The volcano is getting VERY active and the guides are VERY lax on safety, they not only let you go closer than is safe, but take you right up and stand with you where it is definitely NOT safe. Several times we asked our guide "is it safe here?" - "Yes, its safe". Moments later we are looking up at a lava bomb the size of a bar fridge above our heads! I would advise Yasur is not an activity for children, the unfit or the elderly. If a lava bomb is above you or coming near you DO NOT RUN, wait and watch to see where it is falling then move to avoid it. Avoid being in a large group with people around you so that you can't move quickly out of harms way. The volcano was officially a level 2 but I would say it was a level 3. I saw a lava bomb land 100 metres outside of the volcano rim.
Impressive at any time, Yasur is probably best at dusk when there's enough light to illuminate the crater rim. This gives dimension and context to your photos, the red lava bombs will be visible and the clouds of ash look great. Keep in mind there is a narrow time window of about half an hour from sunset to dark. At night the volcano starts to look more like a fireworks display and it's more difficult to set your focus. If you're want better photos then you should bring a tripod and use a high sensitivity film or ISO setting. If you have a digital camera you should bring spare batteries because it it will spend a lot of time on standby, waiting for the next eruption. The best way to shoot is with a tripod and a remote shutter release. This will leave you free to watch fireworks and not spend all evening peering through the viewfinder or blinding yourself with the LCD screen. Set the camera on bulb exposure, open the shutter, wait for an eruption and then close it. The technique is same as used for shooting fireworks and lightning. Of course, focus and exposure must all be set in manual. Yasur volcano, in southern Vanuatu is one of the world's most active volcanoes. The volcano has erupted many times per hour for at least 800 years. Yasur has been called the "Lighthouse of the Pacific" because of the regular Strombolian eruptions visible from sea.
