Tengchong Volcano
Southern China, 25.23°N / 98.5°E
Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
Tengchong volcano is a volcanic field in southern China 40 km from the border with Burma (Myanmar) 430 km WNW of the city of Kunming.
The Tengchong volcanic field contains 3 main volcanoes of Holocene age, Dayingshan, Maanshan, and Heikongshan, plus 65 older volcanoes and cones. The cones at the northern end of the field are probably the youngest, judging from their sparsely vegetated morphology and clearly visible lava flows.
A possible historic explosive eruption occurred in 1609 at Dayingshan or Heikongshan, and there are unconfirmed reports of eruptions in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Tengchong district has several very active geothermal fields, the largest and highest temperature of which is the Rehai geothermal field. The Rehai geothermal field has had over 20 hydrothermal explosions since 1993.
Tengchong volcano eruptions: 1609 (?), 5750 BC ± 1000 years
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Background
Volcanism of the Tengchong volcanic field is related to the eastward subduction of the Burma microplate under the Eurasian plate near the northeastern side of the collision zone between the Indian and Eurasian plate, which forms the seismically very active Himalayan belt.The Tengchong volcanic field formed in several periods from the early Pliocene to the Holocene.
1 Pliocene to mid-Pleistocene eruptions produced basaltic lavas.
2 Mid- to late-Pleistocene erupted silicic pyroclastic lavas
3 Holocene: basaltic to andesites. The youngest eruptions were in 2 phases during the early and late Holocene.
(Source: Smithsonian / GVP volcano information)
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