Ambae (Vanuatu) - Report for 20 August-26 August 2026 - New Eruptive Activity — volcanic activity reported was recorded by Global Incident Tracker on Thursday, 27 August 2026 at 07:30 UTC. The event is classified as a volcanic eruption incident with a severity rating of Moderate, and was detected through GVP.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department (VMGD) reported that the eruption at Ambae continued during 21-26 August, with explosive activity producing tall ash plumes on 25 August. Continuous plumes of gas, steam, and ash were visible in satellite and webcam images drifting NW during 21-24 August and drifting NE on 25 August. Sulfur dioxide gas emissions were at moderate to high levels, and seismicity indicated high levels of activity. Thermal anomalies were identified in satellite data. The Wellington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) reported that ash plumes were significantly higher during 25-26 August. The eruption escalated at 2040 on 25 August, and by 2124 an ash plume had risen to 16.5 km (54,000 ft) a.s.l. and was drifting E based on satellite images. The ash plume altitude decreased to 15.2 km (50,000 ft) a.s.l. by 2153 and to 12.8 km (42,000 ft) a.s.l. by 0013 on 26 Au
Where this happened
The incident is located in Vanuatu (Oceania), whose capital is Port Vila. Historically, Vanuatu is most affected by cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. You can follow every incident recorded in this country, updated live, on the Vanuatu incident tracker.
Approximate coordinates of the reported event are -15.400°, 166.900°. The marker on the map above shows this position; for news-derived reports the location reflects the place named in media coverage and may represent a district or city rather than an exact site.
Understanding volcanic eruption events
Eruptions producing ash, lava, pyroclastic flows and lahars. Volcanic risk extends far beyond lava. Pyroclastic flows, ashfall that collapses roofs, lahars (volcanic mudflows) and aviation-grade ash clouds account for most volcanic casualties and economic damage.
How severity is rated
Global Incident Tracker rates every event on a four-step scale — Minor, Moderate, Severe and Extreme — derived from the source signal: earthquake magnitude, official GDACS alert colour, or the volume of independent media reporting for news-derived incidents. This event is currently rated Moderate. Ratings can change as more information becomes available, and a rating is a monitoring signal rather than an official government assessment.
Safety guidance for volcanic eruption situations
- Follow exclusion zones exactly — pyroclastic flows travel faster than any vehicle on local roads.
- Protect against ashfall with an N95 mask and eye protection; ash damages lungs and engines.
- Avoid river valleys and low ground downstream, where lahars concentrate.
- Clear roof ash carefully; wet ash is extremely heavy and collapses structures.
- Follow only official instructions from local authorities and emergency services — this page is a monitoring record, not an emergency alert.
Data and verification
This record was generated automatically from GVP and de-duplicated against our archive. Early reports for any incident can be revised: locations get refined, magnitudes are recalculated and impact figures change as assessments arrive. We deliberately do not publish casualty numbers unless an official source states them. The original source report is linked at the top of this page.
Keep watching the situation on our live world incident map, browse every volcanic eruptions we track on the Volcanic Eruption tracker, or see today's global picture on the incidents today page.
Timeline and sources
Officially recorded
An official record exists from Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. That confirms the event was recorded; figures quoted from news reports are not confirmed by it.
How statuses are decided · the number of reports is never treated as confirmation.
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· received · event time 27 Aug 2026, 07:30 UTCFirst report Official agency record
First recorded from Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.
Times are when this site received each report, in UTC; the event time is shown where the source gave one. Copies of one syndicated story count as one report.
Conditions at the time
Light rain of 1.2 mm was recorded, and the temperature peaked at 25°C.
Weather reanalysis for this location and date via Open-Meteo.