earth science

Ulawun

Ulawun is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ulawun rather than just read about it. In short: Ulawun is an active stratovolcano in West New Britain Province, on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. About 130 km (81 mi) southwest of the township of Rabaul, Ulawun is the highest mountain in New Britain and the second in the Bismarck Archipelago at 2,334 metres (7,657 ft), and one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea.

Key takeaways

Ulawun belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ulawun to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ulawun from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ulawun is an active stratovolcano in West New Britain Province, on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. About 130 km (81 mi) southwest of the township of Rabaul, Ulawun is the highest mountain in New Britain and the second in the Bismarck Archipelago at 2,334 metres (7,657 ft), and one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. A total of 22 recorded eruptions have occurred since the 18th century; the first, in 1700, was recorded by William Dampier. Several thousand people live near the volcano. Because of its eruptive history and proximity to populated areas, Ulawun is considered one of the Decade Volcanoes.

Recent activity The last few years have seen almost constant activity at Ulawun, with frequent small explosions, and have caused great damage and loss of life. The volcano erupted at approximately 7am on 26 June 2019, and was quickly upgraded to a major sub-Plinian eruption, with ash climbing to 19 kilometres (62,000 ft). Over 5000 people were evacuated, and flights into nearby Hoskins Airport were cancelled. Lava cut the New Britain Highway in three different locations. On 20 November 2023 ash emissions and eruption noises lead to the alert level being raised to stage 3. The eruption intesified the next hours and produced a plume that reached at an altiude of 15 kilometres (49,000 ft) that drifted 520 kilometres (320 mi) west, and alert level was raised to 4, the top of the scale. Pyroclastic flows descended the northwest and south flank and ashfall was recorded in the north and northwest of the volcano. The alert level was lowered to three the next day, ash emission was less intense, and then lowered again on 22 November. Volcanoes in Papua New Guinea are some of the world's most prolific sources of sulphur dioxide. Recent studies have shown that Ulawun alone releases about 7 kg/s of SO2, which is about 2% of the global total of SO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Its activity is related to subduction of the Solomon Sea Plate under the South Bismarck Plate in the New Britain subduction zone. Ulawun has been named one of the Decade Volcanoes, 16 volcanoes identified as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and their proximity to populated areas.

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See also List of volcanoes in Papua New Guinea List of ultras of Oceania

References

Johnson, RW, Davies, RA and White, AJR (1972) Ulawun Volcano, New Britain. Canberra, Department of National Development, Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics Bulletin 142, PNG 5.

External links Information from the Papua New Guinea Geological Survey "Mount Ulawun, Papua New Guinea" on Peakbagger

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ulawun

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ulawun claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ulawun before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ulawun ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ulawun

In research: Ulawun appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ulawun in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ulawun is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Active volcanoes, Decade Volcanoes, Mountains of Papua New Guinea, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ulawun outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ulawun in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ulawun means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ulawun out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ulawun in simple terms?

Why does Ulawun matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ulawun?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ulawun.