August 31, 1886 Eruption of Niuafo'ou

Name: August 31, 1886 Eruption of Niuafo'ou
Start: 1886-08-31
Location: Niuafo'ou, Tonga

August 31, 1886 · VEI 4 · Deaths: few

Niuafo'ou in Tonga erupted on August 31, 1886 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4.

Where it erupted

Niuafo'ou, Tonga, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories and webcams

The eruption

Date: August 31, 1886
Volcano: Niuafo'ou, shield volcano
Country: Tonga
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Location: 15.600° S, 175.630° W

The toll

Deaths: Few (about 1 to 50)
Missing: Few (about 1 to 50)

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.

None known to have been killed during eruption, but several missing. Several older men, including chiefs of rank, died of shock; total of dead and missing is 11. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Niuafo'ou

June 24, 1853VEI 0 · 25 deaths

Every eruption in 1886 The 1800s Niuafo'ou Earthquakes near Niuafo'ou This day in weather history

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 33.