Volcanoes of Kenya (31)

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Significant volcanic eruptions: Kenya

In historic times, at least 2 volcanoes have been active in Kenya, including The Barrier and South Island volcanoes. A total of 7 eruptions have been witnessed and documented since 1871.
The table below lists volcanic eruptions, significant eruptive episodes or related events in Kenya during geologically recent times.

Date	Volcano	VEI	Region
1921 Dec 31 ±365 d.	The Barrier North flank (Teleki)	2	Kenya
1917	The Barrier Andrew's or Teleki's Volcanoes	2	Kenya
1897 May	The Barrier North flank (Teleki) and Likaiu	2?	Kenya
1895	The Barrier North flank (Teleki's Cone)	2	Kenya
1888	South Island	1	Kenya
1888	The Barrier North flank (Teleki's Cone)	?	Kenya
1871 ±3 y.	The Barrier North flank (Teleki's Cone)	2	Kenya

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

Kenya FAQ

+When was the last volcanic eruption in Kenya?

The last volcanic eruption in Kenya was from The Barrier volcano in 1921.

+When was the first documented volcanic eruption in Kenya?

The first historically documented eruption occurred 1871 from The Barrier volcano.

+How often do volcanoes in Kenya erupt?

Since 1871, Kenya has seen at least 7 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 22 years.

+How active are the volcanoes in Kenya?

Kenya is volcanically occasionally active: Since 1900, at least 1 volcanoes in Kenya have been active.Since 1900, Kenya has had 2 volcanic eruptions from 1 individual volcanoes. Volcanic eruptions have been recorded erupted during 2 years out of 126 as of now. This means, at least one volcano in Kenya has been in eruption in one in 63 years on average. The last volcano to erupt in Kenya was The Barrier volcano, which erupted in 1921, 105 years ago.

+When was the largest volcanic eruption in Kenya?

The largest eruption in Kenya in historic times was from The Barrier volcano. It occurred in 1921. It ranks as a strombolian to vulcanian eruption with a magnitude 2 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale.

Latest earthquakes: Kenya

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

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Nearest Volcano / Location

See Recent Quakes

Significant Earthquakes in Kenya since 1900

The deadliest earthquake in Kenya since 1900 was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake in

Kenya, Homa Bay on Mar, 20, 1968. It resulted in 1 fatalities and 1 injured people. This was the most disastrous quake in Kenya ever recorded.
This was the 3rd worst quake in Kenya during recorded history. An unknown number houses and other buildings were destroyed and between 50-100 damaged.

Date	Mag	Region	Deaths	Damage
1968 Mar 20	4.6	Homa Bay, Usiri, Got Kokech	1	light	Info
1928 Jan 6	6.9	Subukia	0	moderate	Info

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K

All Quakes in History

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Oldest quakes (until 1960) are shown in yellow, most recent (from 2000) in red.

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Significant Earthquakes in Kenya FAQ

+Which was the deadliest earthquake in Kenya since 1900?

The deadliest earthquake in Kenya since 1900 was the magnitude 4.6 earthquake in Kenya, Homa Bay on Mar, 20, 1968. It resulted in 1 fatalities and 1 injured people. This was the most disastrous quake in Kenya ever recorded.

+Which was the earthquake that caused most damage in Kenya since 1900?

The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Kenya, Baringo on Jan, 6, 1928. It caused no known fatalities and estimated $1-5 million USD (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.