Fogo Volcano

Updated: May 28, 2025 23:13 GMT - refresh

Stratovolcano

Cape Verde, 14.95°N / -24.35°W

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Summit height: 2829 m / 9,281 ft

Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)

Last update: 17 Dec 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

The island of Fogo consists of a single massive stratovolcano that is the most prominent of the Cape Verde Islands. Fogo is the most active volcano in the Cape Verde.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes | Images

Typical eruption style: unspecified
Fogo volcano eruptions: 2014-15, 1995, 1951

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Background

The roughly circular 25-km-wide island is truncated by a large 9-km-wide caldera that is breached to the east and has a headwall 1 km high. The caldera is located asymmetrically NE of the center of the island and was formed as a result of massive lateral collapse of the ancestral Monte Armarelo edifice. A very youthful steep-sided central cone, Pico, rises more than 1 km above the caldera floor to about 100 m above the caldera rim, forming the 2829 m high point of the island. Pico, which is capped by a 500-m-wide, 150-m-deep summit crater, was apparently in almost continuous activity from the time of Portuguese settlement in 1500 AD until around 1760. Later historical lava flows, some from vents on the caldera floor, reached the eastern coast below the breached caldera.
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Smithsonian / GVP volcano information

Fogo Volcano Photos

Fogo Volcano (Cape Verde)
2014-2015 eruption (23 November 2014 to 08 February 2015).Image taken December 4, 19h 20m local time. 14 56 35 N, 24 21 20 W.
Mario M...

Fogo volcano (Cape Verde)
2014-2015 eruption (23 November 2014 to 08 February 2015).Image taken 05 December, 19h 40m local time. 14º56'35" N, 24º21'20" W. (Photo: Ma...

Bursting lava bubble, Fogo volcano eruption Nov-Dec 2014 (Photo: Martin Rietze)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Fogo volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Fogo has had at least 12 confirmed eruptions, all documented by historical records or observations.

The table below lists all known eruptions (date in bold face) of Fogo volcano in historic times and during the past 10,000 years. Updates on the most recent volcanic activity of Fogo can be found on the news page of Fogo volcano.

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
2014 Nov 23 - 2015 Feb 8	WSW base of Pico Historical obs./docs.	2
2014 Nov 23 (eruption 2014 Nov 23 - 2015 Feb 8)	Historical obs./docs.	0		moderate	Info
2014 Nov 23: 19 November-25 November 2014. According to news articles an eruption from Fogo's Pico cone inside the Cha Caldera began in the morning on 23 November after increased activity detected in the previous weeks and felt earthquakes by residents the night before. The eruption started at a vent on the WSW base of Pico cone, near or at where explosions originated in 1995, and then rose from multiple vents. The activity was characterized by explosions, lava fountains, and ash emissions. About 700 people evacuated from Chã das Caldeiras and the local airport closed. During the afternoon on 24 November workers removed items from the national park headquarters and by the evening lava had overtaken the building. Lava flows had crossed a main road and taken down communication poles. The Toulouse VAAC noted that a cloud observed in satellite images composed mainly of sulfur dioxide drifted over 220 km NW at an altitude of 9.1 km (30,000 ft) a.s.l. Ash in the cloud was detected at lower altitudes. By 25 November the lava flow was 4 km long. (reference #2432) The eruption continues, but the situation is critical inside the Cha caldera. The northern lava flow branch has started to enter the village of Portela and today destroyed and/or damaged several buildings, including the headquarters of the Fogo Nature Park. The village, located at the northern end of the main road inside the caldera, is at risk of being cut off by lava flows... The eruption's heaviest economic damage is probably the destruction of vinyards in the area. The lava flows threaten the storage cellar with approx. 100,000 liters of wine. (reference #11144) On 23 November 2014, at 10.00 there was a volcanic eruption on the island of Fogo in Cape Verde. In the Cha das Caldeiras region of the island, approximately 5,700 metres of Cha Sao Felipe road had been affected by lava flows, which has resulted in the Bangaeira, Djeu Lorna and Portela communities becoming cut off. Air traffic to and from the island was stopped. All of the people who lived in the crater of the volcano were evacuated by the National Civil Protection Service and Military and sought refuge ... The National Civil Protection Service reported that the lava flows had destroyed 230 buildings including homes and public infrastructure. It has also been reported that 444.7 hectares of land had been affected including 120 hectares of agricultural fields and livestock killed. In the Bangaeira and Portela communities, 100% of buildings had been destroyed... As of 6 February 2015, the volcano had not resulted in any loss of lives however, 1,076 people have been displaced of which 944 people are settled in the temporary shelter confinements built by the government in the 1995 volcanic eruption and a public school. (reference #11296) 170 buildings destroyed and 90 buildings damaged (75% of Cha das Caldeiras villages), main road inundated, well head covered. (reference #13732) Cited references #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/). #11144 volcanodiscovery.com (2014): Fogo volcano (Cape Verde) eruption update: lava threatens Portela village, airport closed. Published Tuesday Nov 25, 2014 22:39 PM. #11296 reliefweb (2015): Cape Verde: Volcano (Fogo) - Emergency Plan of Action DREF no MDRCV002 Operation update no 2. Published 13 Feb 2015. #13732 Meredith, E.S., Jenkins, S.F., Hayes, J.L. et al. (2022): Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi. Bull Volcanol 84, 65. DOI: 10.1007/s00445-022-01568-2 Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1995 Apr 2 - May 26	WSW flank of Pico Historical obs./docs.	2
1995 Apr 2 (eruption 1995 Apr 2 - May 26)	Historical obs./docs.	2		light	Info
1995 Apr 2: During the night of 2-3 April, several residents evacuated to the N coast. Once ashfall began, more caldera residents and some people in the eastern villages of Corvo, Achada Grande, Relva, Tintiera, Cova Matinho, Cova Figueira, and Estância Roque also evacuated to the coastal towns of Mosteiros (~9 km N of the summit) or Sao Filipe. Police officials reported that all of the ~1,300 people living within the caldera had managed to get out on foot and had been accounted for by noon on 3 April... Official reports indicated that almost 1,000 persons were sheltered in the Army camps at Sao Filipe, Patim, Achada Furna, and Mosteiros. During the first days of the eruption local authorities, Cape Verde soldiers, and volunteers, helped caldera residents save their belongings. Nobody was killed, and only 20 people needed medical assistance during the evacuation, including children with respiratory problems. Although numbers are uncertain, as many as 5,000 people may have been displaced during this eruption. As of 16 April, Portela residents continued to remove belongings by foot... n the following days the lava flow reached the settlement of Boca de Fonte near the caldera wall ~2 km W of the eruption center, and by 9 April it had destroyed at least 5 houses (possibly 10), the main water reservoir, and several square kilometers of fertile land used to grow coffee, wine grapes, fruits, maize, tapioca, and beans... Since the beginning of the eruption, lava flows have covered ~4.3 km2 of productive land, and preliminary data indicate an erupted volume of 22-35 x 106 m3. Boca de Fonte (population 56) was completely destroyed, and flow-fronts were 300 m from Portela as of 18 May. About 1,000 persons remain in shelters at Army camps in Sao Filipe, Patim, Achada Furna, and Mosteiros. During this eruption nobody was killed, but several needed medical assistance, mainly for respiratory problems due to inhalation of volcanic gas and dust. (reference #2432) 90% of the main villages, Portela and Bangeira destroyed and main road inundated. (reference #13732) Cited references #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/). #13732 Meredith, E.S., Jenkins, S.F., Hayes, J.L. et al. (2022): Damage assessment for the 2018 lower East Rift Zone lava flows of Kīlauea volcano, Hawaiʻi. Bull Volcanol 84, 65. DOI: 10.1007/s00445-022-01568-2 Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1951 Jun 12 - Aug 21	Northwest and south caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1909	Historical obs./docs.	?
1857 Jun 27 - Dec 15	SSE caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1852 Feb 19 - Mar 30 ?	NNW caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1847 Apr 9 - May 2 ?	North caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1847 Apr 9 (eruption 1847 Apr 9 - May 2 ?)	Historical obs./docs.	2	1-50 (*)		Info
1847 Apr 9: Fatalities possibly caused by volcanogenic earthquake. Cited references #1412 Simkin, Tom, and Lee Siebert with the collaboration of Russell Blong, Jonathan Dehn, Christopher Newhall, Roland Pool, and Thomas C. Stein (1994): Volcanoes of the World, Second Edition, A Regional Directory, Gazetteer, and Chronology of Volcanism During the Last 10,000 Years, Geoscience Press, Inc., Tucson, Arizona, in association with Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Washington, D.C., p. 164-176. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1816 Dec 31 ±365 d.	Historical obs./docs.	?
1799 Jun 2 - Jun 28	North caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1785 Jan 24 - Feb 25	North caldera floor Historical obs./docs.	2
1769 Apr	SW side Historical obs./docs.	?
1500 AD - 1761 ?	Pico Historical obs./docs.	1

(*) Estimated numbers

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

Fogo Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Fogo volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Fogo occurred during 2014 - 2015.

+How often does Fogo volcano erupt?

Fogo volcano erupts almost every year. Since its first historically documented eruption 1500 AD, Fogo has often been near-continuously active. The Global Volcanism Project counts 12 historic eruptions until now, spanning a total of 274 out of 525 years. In other words, Fogo is active roughly every one in 1.9 years on average. This value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruption might not contain all eruptions, especially further back in time. The last eruption of Fogo

+How active is Fogo volcano at present?

Fogo volcano is occasionally active: Since 1900, it has had 5 eruptions, and been active during 5 years out of 126 as of now. This means, Fogo has been in eruption one in 25.2 years on average. The last eruption was from 2014 until 2015 and ended 10 years ago.

+When was the largest eruption of Fogo volcano?

The largest eruption of Fogo volcano in historic times occurred during 2014 - 2015. It ranks as a strombolian to vulcanian eruption with a magnitude 2 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Fogo Volcano Maps

Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).