Geological data, ¹⁴C age-determinations, and Spanish-era historical documents are correlated to establish the Holocence eruptive history of Mt. Parker, an andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano that is very similar to Mt. Pinatubo. Our study indicates at least four major eruptions of silicic magmas from Mt. Parker: 23-27Ka, 3.8Ka, ~600 ybp, and ~300 ybp. All four events involved dacitic (SiO₂ = 64%) pyroclastic flows marked by the co-existence of phenocryst-rich and phenocryst-poor pumices. The good agreement between ¹⁴C calibrated calendar ages, historical records, and the geology of Mt. Parker strongly suggests that the ~300 ybp event coincides with the giant eruption of January 4, 1641 described in Hispanic documents but later misattributed to Awu volcano. Misattribution of this eruption to Awu in Sangihe island stems from: 1) scant knowledge of Mindanao volcanoes at the time of the eruption, and 2) confusion on the date and place of eruption brought about by second- and third-hand accounts of the eruptive event.

Although we establish a 1641 eruption of Mt. Parker, a~300 yr-interval between its last two eruptions, and an apparent decrease in repose period with time, the number and coverage of our ¹⁴C-dating do not allow us to predict the voloands next eruption. Our data, however, clearly demonstrate that Parker poses a serious hazard that requires a greater level of study than it has previously received. While the September 6, 1995 flashflood focuses current attention to the risk posed by the caldera lake, a more serious and long-term threat is the potential eruption of juvenile silicic magma.