Bougainville’s Mount Bagana on stage 1 alert

The Rabaul Volcanological Observatory has declared a Stage 1 Alert for Bagana Volcano in South Bougainville, after its most significant activity since monitoring was restored in 2024.

Overnight [Friday June 19] Bagana displayed its brightest continuous summit glow in nearly two years, with discrete explosions sending glowing lava fragments down the northwest slopes.

At dawn on Saturday [June 20], a low grey ash plume was visible drifting north.

Seismicity remains generally low, though slightly above monthly averages, mostly linked to rockfalls from lava overflow.

The Observatory says Stage 1 Alert is close to normal status but advises communities near the volcano to stay vigilant in their daily activities should the activity continue.

Bagana’s last major eruption was in July 2023.

The RVO says it will continue monitoring and issue further updates.