Overall Green Volcanic eruption for Ambae
in Vanuatu

Event summary

GREEN alert: The Ambae Volcanic eruption is unlikely to require external humanitarian assistance based on the exposed population and coping capacity.

GDACS ID VO 1000137
Name: Ambae (257030)
Lat/Lon: -15.39 , 167.84
Event Date: 25 Feb 2026 UTC
Exposed Population 30km: About 13000 people within 30km
Exposed Population 100km: About 110000 people within 100km
Max Volc. Explosivity Index VEI: 2
Population Exposure Index PEI: 3
Inserted at: 25 Feb 2026 06:41 UTC

GDACS Score

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Virtual OSOCC
Meteo assessment
Satellite products
Analytical products
Vanuatu - Volcanic eruption (ECHO 28 Feb 2026)Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:50

  • Since 20?February, the Ambae volcano in northern Vanuatu has entered a new eruptive phase characterized by continuous ash emission.
  • Media reports indicate that the most recent eruption occurred on 24?February at 09:35?UTC, with the ash plume reaching up to 4?900?metres above sea level. The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) confirms that the activity remains confined to Lake Voui, the crater lake at the summit of the volcano.
  • VMGD increased the danger zone from 2?km (Zone?A) to about 3?km (Zone?B) around the vent at Lake?Voui.

Detailed event map. European Union, 2026. Map produced by EC-JRC.
The boundaries and the names shown on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the European Union.

Updates on volcanic activity (Smithsonian)

The Smithsonian/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report provides information about global volcanism on a weekly basis. Latest Ambae report has been published on 19 Feb 2026 09:08.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) reported increased eruptive activity at Ambae during 12-13 February. Strong incandescence above the crater rim was visible in webcam images, and satellite data confirmed a strong thermal anomaly and high levels of sulfur dioxide emissions. Increased tremor was also detected by the seismic network. Ashfall and a sulfur odor was reported by residents downwind. Tremor was continuous during 14-15 February, though seismic data indicated that activity had decreased. Strong incandescence was not visible in webcam images overnight during 14-15 February, nor observed by residents. High levels of sulfur dioxide emissions and moderate thermal anomalies continued to be identified in satellite images through the morning of 15 February. The Alert Level remained at 2 (on a scale of 0-5), and the public was warned to stay outside of Danger Zone A, defined as a 2-km radius around the active vents in Lake Voui, and to stay away from drainages during heavy rains. Source: Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD)
See the detail here

Latest media headlines

Vanuatu, aereo sorvola il vulcano durante l’eruzione: le immagini dell.. 2/25/2026 11:01:00 AM.

L''eruzione del vulcano Manaro Voui sull’isola di Ambae , nell’arcipelago di Vanuatu nel Pacifico meridionale suscita preoccupazione nelle autorità e ha convinto il Dipartimento meteorologico e dei rischi geologici del Vanuatu (VMGD) a inna
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Estimated casualties (PAGER)

USGS estimates the number of casualties for each earthquake for the Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER) product.
The graph shows the current fatalities estimate.

Exposed population

Data, images, links, services and documents

For this events, GDACS has links to information from the following sources: EC-JRC (31), INGV (2), DesInventar (1), WMO (1), INFORM (2), (1), JSR (1),