Billy Mitchell (volcano)

Billy Mitchell volcano
The dark-colored caldera lake of Billy Mitchell is at right, above an ash plume originating from Bagana.
Elevation	1,544 m (5,066 ft)
Location
Location	Bougainville, Papua New Guinea
Range	Emperor Range
Coordinates	6°06′S 155°13′E
Geology
Type	Pyroclastic shield
Volcanic arc/belt	Bougainville & Solomon Is.
Last eruption	1580 ± 20 years

Billy Mitchell
Location	Bougainville Island
Coordinates	6.1°S 155.21667°E / -6.1; 155.21667 (Billy Mitchel (crater lake))
Lake type	crater lake
Basin countries	Papua New Guinea
Surface area	~3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi)
Max. depth	~90 metres (300 ft)

Billy Mitchell is a volcano located in the central part of the island of Bougainville, just northeast 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.

The last two major eruptions were more than 400 (in 1580 AD ± 20 years) and 900 years ago. 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 eruption that occurred in 1580 AD ± 20 years produced pyroclastic flows and caused the formation of its caldera.

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).

The volcano is named for American general Billy Mitchell.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of volcanoes in Papua New Guinea
• Timetable of major worldwide volcanic eruptions

External links

• Photo of the Billy Mitchell Crater Lake
• "Billy Mitchell". Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution. http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=0505-011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.