December 6, 1913 Eruption of Ambrym

Name: December 6, 1913 Eruption of Ambrym
Start: 1913-12-06
Location: Ambrym, Vanuatu

December 6, 1913 · VEI 3 · 21 deaths

Ambrym in Vanuatu erupted on December 6, 1913 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 21 people.

Where it erupted

Ambrym, Vanuatu, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories

The eruption

Date: December 6, 1913
Volcano: Ambrym, pyroclastic shield
Country: Vanuatu
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Killed by: Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Location: 16.250° S, 168.120° E

The toll

Deaths: 21
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

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.

Several villages were destroyed; explosions destroyed the mission hospital at Dip Point, killing 21 persons. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Ambrym

Every eruption in 1913 The 1900s Ambrym Earthquakes near Ambrym 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 2251.