Ambae

1670 Eruption of Ambae

1670 · VEI 2 · Deaths: many

Ambae in Vanuatu erupted in 1670 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.

Where it erupted

Ambae, Vanuatu, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date
1670
Volcano
Ambae, shield volcano
Country
Vanuatu
Volcanic Explosivity Index
2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by
Lava flows
Location
15.389° S, 167.835° E

The toll

Deaths
Many (about 101 to 1,000)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Legend of lava flow with many fatalities about 300 years ago. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Ambae

More

Every eruption in 1670The 1600sAmbaeEarthquakes near Ambae

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4447.