Dakataua

Coordinates: 5°3′20″S 150°6′30″E / 5.05556°S 150.10833°E / -5.05556; 150.10833
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Dakataua
Dakataua lake on the North tip of the Willaumez Peninsula, left of the Pago volcano. On the right there is a steam plume over the sea from the Ulawun volcano.
Highest point
Elevation400 m (1,300 ft)
Coordinates5°3′20″S 150°6′30″E / 5.05556°S 150.10833°E / -5.05556; 150.10833
Geography
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Volcanic arc/beltBismarck volcanic arc
Last eruption1895 ± 5 years

The Dakataua Caldera is located at the northern tip of the Willaumez Peninsula, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The peninsula includes the 350 m high andesitic Mount Makalia stratovolcano.[1] The last major collapse of Dakataua was during the Holocene around 800 CE.[2] The most recent eruption on the caldera's rim was Mount Makalia in 1890, producing lava flows and cinder cones.[3]

Caldera lake[edit]

Dakataua's caldera lake is about 76 m above sea level; it has a total surface area of 48 km2 (19 sq mi) and a maximum depth of approximately 120 m.[4] It is horseshoe shaped, roughly bisected by a peninsula.[1] It is a freshwater lake that is alkaline with a pH of up to 8.2. It is presumed to be formed by rainwater gradually filling in the caldera.[5] While the lake supports various kinds of life, it does not support any species of fish.[6]

Migo the Lake Monster[edit]

There is a folk legend that a monster called the migo (or masali) inhabits the lake. In 1993 a Japanese film crew led by Tetsuo Nagata captured what they claimed to be the migo on film. It is presumed that the creature in the video is actually a saltwater crocodile from the ocean surrounding the lake.[7]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Dakataua". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  2. ^ "Holocene explosive eruptions of Witori and Dakataua caldera volcanoes in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  3. ^ "Dakataua Volcano World". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  4. ^ E. BALL, J. GLUCKSMAN A limnological survey of Lake Dakataua, a large calderalake on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, with comparisons to Lake Wisdom, a younger nearby caldera lake. Freshwater Biology (10)73, 1980
  5. ^ "Lake Dakataua". Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. ^ "A liminological survey of Lake Dakataua". doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.1980.tb01182.x. Retrieved August 19, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ "Filming Migo the Monster". Retrieved August 19, 2020.