Rabaul Caldera

Most commercial and residential buildings in Rabaul Town at least partially collapsed because of tephra that fell during the simultaneous eruption of nearby Tavurvur and Vulcan vents [MAP] on September 19, 1994. A layer of tephra as thick as 1 m on roofs added a load of 0.9 to 1.5 tons/m² to buildings in Rabaul Town. Fortunately, most people had evacuated the town before the eruption started and no one died from collapsed buildings. The eruption, however, displaced about 90,000 people living near the two vents.