358:. About 0.6 square kilometres (0.23 sq mi) in area, the island has a domed shape, and some sources suggest a current height of its highest peak, Mont Favard, of 242 metres (794 ft), but others are higher. It was first surveyed by the British between 1853 to 1856 at 974 ft (297 m) 297 metres (974 ft) high which is still given in a recent English source.. There has been volcanic activity since 1856 and before 1982 French aviation photographic studies were interpreted to give an approximate height of 260 m (850 ft). Other French sources are slightly higher. It is composed of
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became established and the southernmost propagating tip of the
Central Spreading Ridge backarc-spreading centre in the North Fiji Basin over the last 2 million years has rifted westward splitting the Hunter Ridge into two halves. New young subduction of the South Fiji Basin has created what has been
482:
rising from craters in the south-east. West
Matthew formed in the late 1940s and may have had eruptions as recent as 1976. It is a roughly circular, 177 m (581 ft) high cone with a serrated peak and is composed almost entirely of lava flows and slag. It contains a crater that is breached to
496:
2. Another VEI 2 eruption from West
Matthew took place in October 1954, while a very small (VEI 0) fissure eruption occurred in approximately 1956. This marks the latest confirmed activity on Matthew Island, although tremors took place near the island in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Uncertainty surrounds a
385:
activity continues in the north of the island, as well as on the northeast and southeast coasts. Two small eruptions took place in the mid-1800s. In 1835, a lava flow erupted and on 15 March 1841, an explosive eruption took place. In 1895, lava was seen flowing from two craters on the east side of
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Small, arid, without fresh water and not easily accessible, the islands had no interest for
Britain or France during their colonisation of the Pacific in the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. France officially annexed both islands in 1929. In 1965, the
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All known historical eruptions have come from West
Matthew. After a highly seismically active period in the 1940s, construction of West Matthew began as submarine eruptions built up a new island. The new cone then emitted lava flows. The eruption was a
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called the
Matthew and Hunter subduction zone. The various processes have resulted in unusually complex volcanic composition of the island's recent eruptives, as well as the continued seismicity assigned to the area as the south western part of the
430:) is also known as Umaenupne island in the indigenous language of Aneityum island in southern Vanuatu, the closest inhabited island. It is 0.7 square kilometres (0.27 sq mi) in area, 177-metre (581 ft) located at
1117:
Lili Song, Morsen Mosses & Geraldine
Giraudeau (2023): The Ambiguous History of Matthew and Hunter Islands: Tracing the Roots of Vanuatu and French Claims, The Journal of Pacific History, DOI: 10.1080/00223344.2022.2146577
1113:
Song, Lily & Mosses, Morsen: "Revisiting Ocean
Boundary Disputes in the South Pacific in Light of the South China Sea Arbitration: A Legal Perspective", The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 33 (2018): 768 -
461:. The volcanic island is composed of two andesitic-to-dactic volcanic cones, East Matthew and West Matthew, separated by a rocky 200-metre-wide isthmus. The island was discovered by Captain Thomas Gilbert, of
467:, on 27 May 1788, who named it after the owner of his ship. At the time of the discovery, only East Matthew existed and it was described as having only one peak prior to the Second World War.
366:. A cone makes up the south part of the island, with its central crater filled by a lava dome. A 100 m (330 ft)-deep crater is located on the north-west side of the island.
319:) is also known as "Fern or Fearn Island", or "Leka" in the local language of Futuna island in southern Vanuatu. The first recorded European sighting of the island was by
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295:. France conducted a symbolic occupation in 1975. In 1980, on its independence, Vanuatu claimed sovereignty, but made no occupation of the islands. In 1979,
944:"Magmagenesis within the Hunter Ridge Rift Zone resolved from olivine-hosted melt inclusions and geochemical modelling with insights from geodynamic models"
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under the North Fiji Basin. From about 3 million years ago the current triple junction between the New
Hebrides Plate, Australian Plate and the
834:
Maillet, P.; Monzier, M.; Lefevre, C. (1986). "Petrology of
Matthew and Hunter volcanoes, south New Hebrides island arc (southwest Pacific)".
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Borsa, P.; Baudat–Franceschi, J. (2023). "The marine avifauna of Matthew and Hunter Islands,two remote volcanoes of the New Hebrides chain".
95:
681:
1177:
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McCarthy, A; Falloon, TJ; Danyushevsky, LV; Sauermilch, I; Patriat, M; Jean, MM; Maas, R; Woodhead, JD; Yogodzinski, GM (15 July 2022).
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The islands are prone to earthquakes, as they are situated near the southern arc of the South New Hebrides Trench, where the minor
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part of the New Hebrides Plate and this ridge was initially formed from about 7 to 3 million years ago, when the opening of the
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the island. A small (VEI 0) fissure eruption took place in 1903, on the northern side of the island, and produced lava.
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with a half-destroyed, 142 m (466 ft) high composite volcanic cone that is thought to be composed of three
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archipelago. Hunter Island and Matthew Island, 70 km (43 mi) apart, are claimed by Vanuatu as part of
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996:"Implications of high-Mg# adakitic magmatism at Hunter Ridge for arc magmatism of the Fiji-Vanuatu region"
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the northwest. A lava flow from West Matthew makes up the northwest coast of the island.
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report of an eruption in 1828, as well as reports of eruptions in 1966 and 1976.
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Vanuatu and New Caledonia, Matthew and Hunter Islands on the bottom right.
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in 1798. It lies about 70 km (43 mi) east of Matthew Island at
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1140:"Parc naturel de la mer de Corail: îles Éloignées: guide floristique"
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Durance, PM; Jadamec, MA; Falloon, TJ; Nicholls, IA (1 August 2012).
792:"Parc naturel de la mer de Corail: îles Éloignées: guide floristique"
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478:. There is still some volcanic activity on the island with sulphuric
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set up an automatic weather station on one of the islands, and the
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in the South Pacific, located 300 kilometres (190 mi) east of
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Mont Favard on Hunter Island at more than 240 m (790 ft)
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in a north–south direction, allowed northward subduction of the
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part of their custom ownership, and as of 2007 were claimed by
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Contribution à l'étude géodynamique du sud-ouest Pacifique
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quake was centered in the vicinity of Matthew and Hunter.
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East Matthew is the older part of the island, formed from
362:– dacitic lavas and numerous explosion craters dot the
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Both Matthew Island and Hunter Island are within the
807:"Internet Eccentrics on Expedition To Hunter Island"
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369:Hunter Island has been symbolically claimed by a
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406:, with some 100–200 pairs estimated in 2007.
402:because it supports a breeding population of
291:also claimed the two islands, as part of the
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513:because it supports breeding populations of
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609:Fiji–France Maritime Delimitation Agreement
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1142:. Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.
794:. Gouvernement de la Nouvelle-Calédonie.
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1052:, Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii Pr., 1991
922:"M 7.7 - southeast of Loyalty Islands"
373:, the Federal Republic of Lostisland.
1208:Important Bird Areas of New Caledonia
505:The island has been recognised as an
394:The island has been recognised as an
7:
1203:Uninhabited islands of New Caledonia
1064:The discovery of the Pacific Islands
948:Australian Journal of Earth Sciences
669:The discovery of the Pacific Islands
1000:Earth and Planetary Science Letters
271:, and considered by the people of
138:1.3 km (0.50 sq mi)
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756:Maillet, P.; Monzier, M. (1982).
1149:Arxius de Miscel·là nia Zoològica
671:, Oxford University Press, p.181
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1228:Territorial disputes of Vanuatu
1138:Butaud, J.F.; Jacq, F. (2015).
1050:Who's who in Pacific navigation
926:United States Geological Survey
790:Butaud, J.F.; Jacq, F. (2015).
303:regularly visits both of them.
1218:Uninhabited islands of Vanuatu
1193:Territorial disputes of France
1188:Volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean
902:. BirdLife International. 2021
876:. BirdLife International. 2021
255:are two small and uninhabited
21:Hunter Island (disambiguation)
1:
968:10.1080/08120099.2012.682096
856:10.1016/0377-0273(86)90065-X
1178:Disputed islands of Oceania
1133:(English, but much shorter)
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1021:10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117592
836:J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res
541:. In February 2021, a 7.7
418:Matthew Island aerial view
29:Matthew and Hunter Islands
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1161:10.32800/amz.2023.21.0067
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1198:Borders of New Caledonia
1096:"Matthew Island Volcano"
1076:Global Volcanism Program
771:. ORSTOM Nouméa: 187–215
735:Global Volcanism Program
16:Islands of New Caledonia
1081:Smithsonian Institution
1012:2022E&PSL.59017592M
740:Smithsonian Institution
377:Eruptions Hunter Island
667:Sharp, Andrew (1962),
511:BirdLife International
427:
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404:red-tailed tropicbirds
400:BirdLife International
323:from his trading ship
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639:"Small Islands Voice"
572:Indo-Australian Plate
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1223:Volcanoes of Vanuatu
581:Hunter Fracture Zone
321:Captain Thomas Fearn
19:For other uses, see
1031:20.500.11850/553552
960:2012AuJES..59..913D
928:. 10 February 2021.
848:1986JVGR...30....1M
649:on 14 February 2017
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811:Vanuatu Daily Post
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263:and south-east of
143:Highest point
111:22.367°S 171.717°E
576:Conway Reef Plate
570:part of the then
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705:. UCSanDiego
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647:the original
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560:Hunter Ridge
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1105:28 December
906:16 February
880:16 February
842:(1): 1–27.
816:13 December
653:28 December
452: /
428:île Matthew
371:micronation
349: /
301:French Navy
279:as part of
114: /
90:Coordinates
62:île Matthew
58:Other names
1172:Categories
625:References
525:Seismicity
476:lava flows
383:solfataric
317:île Hunter
239:Population
175:Claimed by
70:île Hunter
1155:: 67–89.
554:Tectonics
535:subducted
509:(IBA) by
487:Eruptions
480:fumaroles
464:Charlotte
398:(IBA) by
85:Geography
66:Umaenupne
1129:(German)
976:67848457
775:7 August
709:7 August
687:7 August
587:See also
440:171°21′E
360:andesite
273:Aneityum
224:Province
102:171°43′E
1086:28 June
1008:Bibcode
956:Bibcode
844:Bibcode
537:by the
437:22°21′S
337:172°5′E
334:22°24′S
265:Vanuatu
217:Vanuatu
99:22°22′S
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643:UNESCO
472:basalt
424:French
325:Hunter
313:French
277:France
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190:France
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158:France
972:S2CID
761:(PDF)
228:Tafea
1107:2019
1088:2021
1054:ISBN
908:2021
882:2021
818:2017
777:2024
711:2024
689:2024
655:2019
517:and
251:and
135:Area
74:Leka
68:and
1157:doi
1114:798
1026:hdl
1016:doi
1004:590
964:doi
852:doi
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533:is
494:VEI
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820:.
779:.
742:.
713:.
691:.
657:.
546:w
544:M
242:0
130:2
23:.
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