Kao
About Kao
The symmetrical Kao rises steeply from the ocean about 6 km N of Tofua Island in Tonga. It is elongated NNE-SSW and, with the exception of a small flat area on the SSW coast, rises at angles exceeding 35° to the summit, which has a series of small coalescing craters. The lower flanks of the basaltic andesite volcano are densely jungled, but the upper slopes are almost vegetation free. There are no fresh-looking lava flows, although the absence of sufficient time for erosion to produce deep gullies or high sea cliffs suggests a very recent origin. A missionary on a ship anchored at Tofua reported that "smoke" was "pouring forth" from Kao on 10 July 1847.
Eruption reports
Reports from GDACS and NASA EONET linked to this volcano.
No eruption reports in our records yet. New reports appear here automatically.
Earthquakes nearby, 30 days
Within about 50 km. Swarms of small quakes can sometimes accompany volcanic unrest.
No earthquakes recorded nearby in the last 30 days.