Volcanoes of or near Antarctica (47)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Antarctica

In historic times, at least 5 volcanoes have been active in Antarctica, including Bristol Island, Erebus, and Deception Island volcanoes. A total of 29 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since 1800.
The table below lists the most recent volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Antarctica since 1900.

Date	Volcano	VEI	Region
1972 Dec 16 ±15 d. - ongoing	Erebus	2	Antarctica
2016 Apr 24 - Jul 26	Bristol Island Main crater, Mt. Sourabaya	1	United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is
1972 Jan 3 ?	Erebus	1	Antarctica
1970 Aug 12	Deception Island NE of Telefon Bay	3	Antarctica, world
1969 Feb 21 - Mar 16 ±15 d.	Deception Island West side of Mount Pond	3	Antarctica, world
1967 Dec 4 - Dec 7	Deception Island North side (Telefon Bay, Yelcho I)	3	Antarctica, world
1967 Dec 4 (eruption 1967 Dec 4 - Dec 7)	Deception Island	3	Antarctica, world	Info
1967 Dec 4: Ring-shaped Deception Island, one of Antarctica's most well known volcanoes, contains a 7-km-wide caldera flooded by the sea. Deception Island is located at the SW end of the Shetland Islands, NE of Graham Land Peninsula, and was constructed along the axis of the Bransfield Rift spreading center. A narrow passageway named Neptunes Bellows provides entrance to a natural harbor that was utilized as an Antarctic whaling station. Numerous vents located along ring fractures circling the low, 14-km-wide island have been active during historical time. Maars line the shores of 190-m-deep Port Foster, the caldera bay. Among the largest of these maars is 1-km-wide Whalers Bay, at the entrance to the harbor. Eruptions from Deception Island during the past 8700 years have been dated from ash layers in lake sediments on the Antarctic Peninsula and neighboring islands. Eruption History: 1967 Dec 4 (start), 1967 Dec 7 (Stop), Confirmed, VEI 3. Historical Observations. North side (Telefon Bay, Yelcho I) (above from eference #2432). 1967, December 4, 18:40 (local time). There was an underwater eruption in Telephone Bay on Decepcion Island (Antarctic), during which the water in Pendulum Cove began to boil and churn (Reference #415). Cited references #415 Soloviev, S.L., and Ch.N. Go (1975): A catalogue of tsunamis on the eastern shore of the Pacific Ocean [dates include 1513-1968]. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Nauka Publishing House, Moscow, 204 p. [Canadian Translation of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences no. 5078, 1984, translation available from Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, National Research Council, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A OS2, 293 p.] #2432 Venzke, E., R.W. Wunderman, L. McClelland, T. Simkin, J.F. Luhr, L. Siebert, and G. Mayberry (eds.) (2002-): Global Volcanism, 1968 to the Present. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program Digital Information Series, GVP-4 (http://www.volcano.si.edu/reports/). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1963 Nov 16 ±15 d.	Erebus	0	Antarctica
1956 Jan 11 - Jan 19 ?	Bristol Island West flank	3	United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is
1955 Jul 2 ±182 d.	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1950 Mar 27	Bristol Island	2	United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is
1947 Feb	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1936 Dec 18 - 1937 Jan 1 ?	Bristol Island	2	United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is
1935 Dec 31	Bristol Island	2	United Kingdom, South Sandwich Is
1915 Aug	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1915 Mar 22	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1912 Dec 12	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1912 ±5 y.	Deception Island SW part of island	3?	Antarctica, world
1911 Oct	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1911 Apr - Jun	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1908 Mar - Nov	Erebus	2	Antarctica
1903 Jan 1 ±730 d.	Erebus	?	Antarctica

Remark:

Our list of volcanic eruptions closely follows the database of eruptions of the Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Project (GVP), the internationally most recognized data source for volcanic eruptions, but also includes significant eruptive episodes or related volcano events. "Volcanic eruptions" are usually to be understood as sequences of individual eruptive episodes that can follow each other, or even overlap (if several vents are involved), and can last many years, decades or even longer. For example, the current activity of Stromboli volcano is understood as a single eruption that has been ongoing since 1934.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K | Global Volcanism Project / Smithsonian Institution

Antarctica FAQ

+When was the last volcanic eruption in Antarctica?

The last volcanic eruption in Antarctica was from Bristol Island volcano in 2016.

+When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Antarctica?

The first historically documented eruption occurred 1800 from Deception Island volcano.

+How often do volcanoes in Antarctica erupt?

Since 1800, Antarctica has seen at least 29 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 7.8 years.

+How active are the volcanoes in Antarctica?

Antarctica is volcanically very active: Since 1900, at least 3 volcanoes in Antarctica have been active.Since 1900, Antarctica has had 21 volcanic eruptions from 3 individual volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions have been recorded erupted during 70 years out of 126 as of now. This means, at least one volcano in Antarctica has been in eruption in one in 1.8 years on average. The last volcano to erupt in Antarctica was Bristol Island volcano, which erupted in 2016, 9 years ago.

+When was the largest volcanic eruption in Antarctica?

The largest eruption in Antarctica in historic times was from Deception Island volcano. It occurred in 1970. It ranks as a "vulcanian" eruption with a magnitude 3 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest earthquakes: Antarctica

There were no significant confirmed earthquakes in or near Antarctica in the past 7 days.

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Nearest Volcano / Location

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Volcano List

Adare Peninsula

(Shield(s) 2083 m / 6834 ft)

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Andrus

(Shield volcanoes 2978 m / 9,770 ft)

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Argo Point

(Pyroclastic cone 360 m / 1181 ft)

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Beaufort Island

(Stratovolcano 740 m / 2428 ft)

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Beethoven Peninsula

(Volcanic field 1050 m / 3445 ft)

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Berlin

(Shield volcanoes 3478 m / 11,411 ft)

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Black Island

(Pyroclastic cone(s) 1041 m / 3415 ft)

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Brabant Island

(Volcanic field 2522 m / 8274 ft)

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Bridgeman Island

(Stratovolcano 240 m / 787 ft)

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Bristol Island

(Stratovolcano 1100 m / 3,609 ft)

NASA Earth Observatory image of Bristol Island on 24 April 2016 by Jesse Allen, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Bristol volcano forms an ice-capped, roughly rectangular island 12x14 km wide and is one of the largest of the South Sandwich Islands chain. Its highest peak is 1100 meters (3,609 feet) above sea level.
Although very active, it is one of the least studied and least known v... [more info]

Buckle Island

(Stratovolcano 1239 m / 4,065 ft)

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Bursey

(Shield(s) 2787 m / 9144 ft)

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Crary Group

(Shield(s) 3654 m / 11988 ft)

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Deception Island

(caldera 576 m / 1,890 ft)

Deception Island is a 14 km wide, ring-shaped volcanic island at the south-western end of the South Shetland Islands, NE of Graham Land Peninsul.
It is one of the most well-known active volcanoes of the Antarctic region.
Deception Island is a sea-filled caldera with a... [more info]

Discovery

(Stratovolcano 2578 m / 8458 ft)

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Erebus

(stratovolcano 3794 m / 12,447 ft)

NASA Earth Observatory photo of Mt Erebus on 6 February 2009

Mount Erebus stratovolcano is the highest and most active volcano of Antarctica, one of the Volcanic Seven Summits, and the largest of 4 volcanoes that form the roughly triangular Ross Island (Mt Erebus, and the extinct Mt. Bird to the north, Mt. Terra Nova and Mt. Terror to the ... [more info]

Franklin Island

(Shield 247 m / 810 ft)

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Gaussberg

(Cone 370 m / 1214 ft)

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Hudson Mountains

(Stratovolcanoes 749 m / 2,457 ft)

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Hut Point Peninsula

(Pyroclastic cone(s) 431 m / 1414 ft)

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Livingston-Greenwich Islands

(Tuff cone(s) 530 m / 1739 ft)

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Mason Spurr

(Lava dome(s) unknown)

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Melbourne

(Stratovolcano 2732 m / 8,963 ft)

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Mount Rittmann

(Shield volcano 2600 m / 8,530 ft)

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Mt. Morning

(Shield volcano 2723 m / 8,934 ft)

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Murphy

(Shield 2703 m / 8868 ft)

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Obiglio

(Pyroclastic cone 488 m / 1601 ft)

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Paulet

(Cinder cone 353 m / 1,158 ft)

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Penguin Island

(Stratovolcano 180 m / 591 ft)

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Peter I Island

(Shield volcano 1640 m / 5,381 ft)

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Royal Society Range

(Cinder cones 3000 m / 9,842 ft)

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Seal Nunataks Group

(Pyroclastic cones 368 m / 1,207 ft)

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Shepard Island

(Tuff cone(s) 487 m / 1598 ft)

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Siple

(shield volcano 3110 m / 10,203 ft)

Mount Siple volcano is one of the largest active volcanoes in Antarctica. It is a young shield volcano in the NW of Siple Island, Hobbs Coast, Antarctica. Mount Siple forms an island off the Pacific coast of Antarctica's Marie Byrd Land and is separated from the coast by the Getz... [more info]

Sturge Island

(Stratovolcano 1167 m / 3,829 ft)

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Tabarin Peninsula

(Shield? 730 m / 2395 ft)

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Takahe

(Shield volcano 3460 m / 11,352 ft)

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Taylor Valley

(Pyroclastic cone(s) 1489 m / 4885 ft)

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Terror

(Shield 3262 m / 10702 ft)

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The Pleiades

(Stratovolcano 3040 m / 9,974 ft)

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Toney Mountain

(Shield volcano 3595 m / 11,794 ft)

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Transantarctic Mountain Foothills

(Unknown unknown)

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Unnamed 73.45°S/164.58°E

(Scoria cones 2987 m / 9,800 ft)

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Unnamed 76.83°S/163.00°E

(Submarine volcano -500 m / - 1,640 ft)

[more info]

Waesche

(Shield volcanoes 3292 m / 10,800 ft)

[more info]

White Island

(Shield(s) 762 m / 2500 ft)

[more info]

Young Island

(Stratovolcano 1340 m / 4,396 ft)

[more info]

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White Island volcano (New Zealand): unrest persists

View into the crater of White Island volcano on 31 May showing steam and gas emissions from vents and the lake (image: GeoNet New Zealand)

Since the most recent observed increaed activity of the volcano on 25 May, the local observatory has been closely monitoring the volcano. ... Read all

Fri, 31 May 2024, 03:09

White Island volcano (New Zealand): no further activity, alert status lowered to Yellow

Minor gas emissions from the White Island volcano as seen via webcam on 31 May (image: GeoNet New Zealand)

Due to the absence of further eruptive activity at the volcano since 25 May, the GeoNet New Zealand local volcano observatory lowered the Volcanic Alert Level to Level 2 and the Aviation Colour Code to Yellow. ... Read all