Rabaul Volcano Observatory

The Rabaul Volcano Observatory sits on a hill overlooking the caldera and maintains continuous monitoring of Tavurvur and the other volcanic centres ringing the harbour. Visitors can stop in during office hours to learn about the monitoring equipment — seismographs, gas sensors, and GPS deformation monitoring — and talk to the scientists on duty about the active geology of the area.

The observatory visit is informal rather than a structured tourist experience, but the staff are usually happy to explain what they're watching and why. The 1994 eruption, and the monitoring that preceded it, is a case study in successful volcanic risk management that has been studied internationally. The observatory's hilltop location also provides one of the best panoramic views of the entire caldera and harbour.

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The Rabaul Volcano Observatory, operated by Papua New Guinea's Geological Survey, monitors the six active volcanoes around the caldera. It was the observatory's team that issued the 24-hour warning before the 1994 eruption — a warning that allowed most of Rabaul's population to evacuate. The observatory's equipment detected the precursor earthquake swarms that typically precede major eruptions, and the decision to issue the warning despite the uncertainty saved hundreds of lives.

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