Jump to content

Dakataua

Coordinates: 5°3′20″S 150°6′30″E / 5.05556°S 150.10833°E / -5.05556; 150.10833
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Dakataua (volcano))
Dakataua
Dakataua lake on the north tip of the Willaumez Peninsula, left of the Pago volcano. On the right there is a steam plume over the sea from the Ulawun volcano.
Highest point
Elevation400 m (1,300 ft)
Coordinates5°3′20″S 150°6′30″E / 5.05556°S 150.10833°E / -5.05556; 150.10833
Geography
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Volcanic arcBismarck volcanic arc
Last eruption1895 ± 5 years

The Dakataua Caldera is located at the northern tip of the Willaumez Peninsula, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The peninsula includes the 350 m high andesitic Mount Makalia stratovolcano.[1] The last major collapse of Dakataua was during the Holocene around 800 CE.[2] The most recent eruption on the caldera's rim was Mount Makalia in 1890, producing lava flows and cinder cones.[3]

Caldera lake

[edit]

Dakataua's caldera lake is about 76 m above sea level; it has a total surface area of 48 km2 (19 sq mi) and a maximum depth of approximately 120 m.[4] It is horseshoe shaped, roughly bisected by a peninsula.[1] It is a freshwater lake that is alkaline with a pH of up to 8.2. It is presumed to be formed by rainwater gradually filling in the caldera.[5] While the lake supports various kinds of life, it does not support any species of fish.[6]

Migo the Lake Monster

[edit]

There is a folk legend that a monster called the migo (or masali) inhabits the lake. In 1993 a Japanese film crew led by Tetsuo Nagata captured what they claimed to be the migo on film. It is presumed that the creature in the video is actually a saltwater crocodile from the ocean surrounding the lake.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Dakataua". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. ^ "Holocene explosive eruptions of Witori and Dakataua caldera volcanoes in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "Dakataua Volcano World". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. ^ E. BALL, J. GLUCKSMAN A limnological survey of Lake Dakataua, a large calderalake on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, with comparisons to Lake Wisdom, a younger nearby caldera lake. Freshwater Biology (10)73, 1980
  5. ^ "Lake Dakataua". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "A liminological survey of Lake Dakataua". doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1980.tb01182.x. Retrieved August 19, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "Filming Migo the Monster". Retrieved August 19, 2020.