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Paka volcano, Kenya
Trachytic pumice cones drape the upper NE flanks of Paka volcano in this aerial view from the NW.
The dark-colored trachytic lava flow with well-defined flow ridges at the lower right traveled down the north flank of the volcano through a breach in the caldera wall.
The 1.5-km-wide summit caldera is visible at the upper right, and a large crater to the SE appears to its left.
Areas of brown vegetation are geothermally active.
The dominantly Pleistocene Paka shield volcano in the Gregory Rift contains a small 1.5-km-wide summit caldera.
Eruption of large volumes of trachytic pyroclastic rocks around the end of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene formed a NW-trending ridge of pyroclastic cones across the summit region; collapse of this area formed the summit caldera and associated craters.
A second large crater SE of the caldera is 0.5 x 1 km wide and contains a pumice cone.
The summit caldera is narrowly breached on the north side, which has funneled post-caldera lava flows in this direction.
The three youngest post-caldera pyroclastic cones on the NE flank may be only a few hundred years old.
A series of viscous trachytic lava flows were erupted from vents on the volcano's lower flanks.
Young fissure-fed basalts were also erupted to the south, between Paka and Korosi volcanoes.
Surficial geothermal activity is widespread at Paka both within the summit caldera and on extensive portions of the northern flank.
PHOTO SOURCE: Photo by Martin Smith, 1993 (copyright British Geological Survey, NERC).
NOTE: The information regarding Volcano on this page is re-published from other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Volcano information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Volcano photos should be addressed to the copyright owner noted below the photo.