Billy Mitchell (volcano)
| Billy Mitchell (volcano) | |
|---|---|
The dark-colored caldera lake of Billy Mitchell is at right, above an ash plume originating from Bagana. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,544 m (5,066 ft) |
| Coordinates | 6°06′S 155°13′E / 6.100°S 155.217°E |
| Geography | |
Billy Mitchell (volcano) | |
| Parent range | Emperor Range |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Pyroclastic shield |
| Volcanic zone | Solomon Islands |
| Last eruption | 1580 ± 20 years |
| Billy Mitchell | |
|---|---|
Billy Mitchell | |
| Location | Bougainville Island |
| Coordinates | 6°06′00″S 155°13′00″E / 6.1°S 155.21667°E |
| Type | crater lake |
| Basin countries | Papua New Guinea |
| Surface area | ~3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi)[1] |
| Max. depth | ~90 metres (300 ft)[1] |
Billy Mitchell is a pyroclastic shield, an uncommon type of volcano in the central part of the island of Bougainville, just north-east of the Bagana Volcano in Papua New Guinea. It is a small pyroclastic shield truncated by a 2 km wide caldera filled by a crater lake.[2] It is generally thought to be named after Billy Mitchell, a 20th-century United States Army general who is sometimes regarded as the father of the United States Air Force, although the exact origin of this claim is not known.[3]
Background
The last two major eruptions were in 1580 AD ± 20 years and about 1030 AD. They were among the largest Holocene eruptions in Papua New Guinea. Both were explosive eruptions with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of at least 5. The 1580 AD ± 20 years eruption produced pyroclastic flows and probably formed its caldera. The second of these eruptions likely had an effect on worldwide temperature, lowering it by 0.2-0.3 degrees celsius for a year or two after the event.[4][5] The ignimbrite deposit from that eruption, which had a VEI of 6, extends 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the caldera to the coast, and its volume is around 10 cubic kilometres (2.4 cu mi).[1]
The volcano is considered dormant as its last eruption was over 350 years ago. [6]
Caldera lake
Billy Mitchell caldera lake is about 1,013 m above sea level, has a total surface area of 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi), and the maximum depth approximately 88.3 m. The only fish species in the lake is the eel Anguilla megastoma. [7] Billy Mitchell lake drains into the Tekan River.[6]
See also
- List of volcanoes in Papua New Guinea
- Mount Billy Mitchell (Chugach Mountains)
- Timeline of volcanism on Earth
References
- ^ a b c The Billy Mitchell volcano at VolcanoLive.com
- ^ "Billy Mitchell". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ "Bagana: child volcano". VolcanoCafe. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Briffa (1998). "Influence of volcanic eruptions on Northern Hemisphere summer temperature over the past 600 years". Nature. 393: 450–455.
- ^ The Billy Mitchell erupts at the Global Volcanism Program website
- ^ a b "Billy Mitchell". Volcano Discovery. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Robert Schabetsberger, Ursula Sichrowsky, Alexander Scheck, Michael Schagerl, Barbara Mähnert, Bettina Sonntag, Karin Pall First Limnological Characterization of Crater Lake Billy Mitchell (Bougainville Island, Papua New Guinea) Pacific Science, 71(1):29-44 (2017).
External links
- Photo of the Billy Mitchell Crater Lake
- "Billy Mitchell". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2011-11-08.