Tinakula
| Tinakula | |
|---|---|
 NASA picture of Tinakula spewing ashes | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 851 m (2,792 ft) |
| Coordinates | 10°23′S 165°48′E / 10.383°S 165.800°E |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Solomon Islands |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc/belt | Bougainville & Solomon Is. |
| Last eruption | 2010 (ongoing) |
Tinakula is a conical stratovolcano which forms an island north of Nendo in Temotu Province, the Solomon Islands. It lies at the north end of the Santa Cruz Islands. It is about 3.5 km wide and rises 851 m above sea level, but rises three or four km above the sea floor. It erupts approximately every hour in a plume of ash and rocks. The volcano was first recorded in eruption in 1595 when Álvaro de Mendaña sailed past on his round the world voyage.
The island is uninhabited. A previous population was eradicated when the volcano erupted around 1840 and pyroclastic flows swept all sides of the island.
Transport can be arranged, but landing on the island is very difficult since there are few good beaches. One must bring plenty of water and be prepared to swim ashore. The island is covered with jungle, except for the western side, which is covered with ash. It was scraped by landslides in 1965. When the volcano erupts, it is possible to watch large boulders tumbling down the mountain side.
The island is in the range of the endangered Santa Cruz Ground Dove (Gallicolumba sanctaecrucis), but as ornithologists have not visited the island in a long period, it is unknown whether they survive there. Doctor Gunter Kittel, an Austrian doctor, who came and worked for Lata Hospital climbed Tinakula four times in 2002.
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