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Agrigan   »  Summary

Agrigan

Agrigan Photo

Country:United States
Subregion Name:Mariana Islands
Volcano Number:0804-16=
Volcano Type: Stratovolcano
Volcano Status:Historical
Last Known Eruption: 1917 
Summit Elevation: 965 m 3,166 feet
Latitude: 18.77°N 18°46'0"N
Longitude: 145.67°E 145°40'0"E

The highest of the Marianas arc volcanoes, Agrigan contains a 500-m-deep, flat-floored caldera. The elliptical island is 8 km long; its 965-m-high summit is the top of a massive 4000-m-high submarine volcano, the second largest in the Marianas Islands. Deep radial valley dissect the flanks of the thickly vegetated stratovolcano. The elongated caldera is 1 x 2 km wide and is breached to the NW, from where a prominent lava flow extends to the coast and forms a lava delta. The caldera floor is surfaced by fresh-looking lava flows and also contains two cones that may have formed during the volcano's only historical eruption in 1917. This eruption deposited large blocks and 3 m of ash and lapilli on a village on the SE coast, prompting its evacuation.

Global Volcanism ProgramDepartment of Mineral SciencesNational Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian Institution

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