Parker Volcano

Updated: Aug 14, 2025 01:55 GMT - refresh

stratovolcano

Mindanao (Philippines), 6.11°N / 124.89°E

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Summit height: 1824 m / 5,984 ft

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

Last update: 12 Dec 2021 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)

Parker volcano (also known as Falen locally) is a low, but steep-sided vegetated stratovolcano located 30 km west of General Santos City, near the southern tip of Mindanao Island, Philippines.
The andesitic-dacitic volcano contains a 2.9 km diameter summit caldera with a lake, Lake Maughan (2 km diameter).
Parker was recently identified as the source of a major explosive eruption in 1641, which caused devastating pyroclastic flows and lahars, and heavy ash fall and darkness over Mindanao Island. The 1641 eruption was one of 3 large explosions of Parker volcano within the past 3800 years. It created the present-day summit caldera.
The eruption style of Parker volcano is similar to Pinatubo volcano, which had a Plinian eruption in 1991.

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News/Updates | Earthquakes

Typical eruption style: highly explosive
Parker volcano eruptions: Dec 1640- Jan 1641 (plinian eruption), 1380 ± 75 years, 1920 BC ± 40 years

Latest nearby earthquakes

Date and Time	Mag / Depth	Distance / Location
Aug 7, 04:56 pm (GMT +8)	2.7 25 km	20 km (12 mi) to the SW	Province of Sarangani, 43 km southwest of General Santos, Philippines	Info

View recent quakes

Significant volcanic eruptions: Parker volcano

In the past 10,000 years, Parker has had only one confirmed historic eruption during 1640 AD - 1641 AD, but at least 2 eruptions can be inferred from geological evidence.

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

Date	Note	VEI	Deaths	Damage
1995 Sep 6 (eruptive episode 1995 Sep 6)	Historical obs./docs.	0	60	moderate	Info
1995 Sep 6: Nearly 100 persons killed by flood from breach of caldera wall either due to natural causes or manmade blasting; 300 homes were destroyed and 50,000 persons displaced. No eruption. (reference #9675) Crater lake overflow causes flooding; no volcanic activity. The overflow of Maughan Lake, the crater lake at Parker volcano, followed heavy rains associated with a passing typhoon and caused flash flooding in NW-flank communities on 6 September. A team from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) was dispatched to determine whether the overflow was caused by volcanic activity. Although no volcanic alert was declared, PHIVOLCS recommended that the crater area should be considered off-limits because of instability of the crater walls. Fieldwork on 8-9 September revealed that the flood was channel-confined along the NW-flank Alah River, which drains the crater lake, from 1,000 m down to 540 m elevation (Barangay New Dumangas, T'boli, South Cotabato Province). Below this point it was transformed into a sheetwash. The floods killed more than 60 people, destroyed 300 homes and nine bridges, and displaced 50,000. (reference #2432) 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/). #9675 Siebert, Lee, Tom Simkin, Paul Kimberly (2010): Fatalities & Evacuations, Volcanoes of the World, Third Edition, Geoscience Press, Inc., University of California Press, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., p. 329-347. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Significant Earthquake Database. doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K
1640 AD Dec 26 ±5 d. - 1641 Jan 4	Historical obs./docs.	5?
1380 ±75 y. AD		4P
1920 ±40 y. BC		4P

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

Eruptions of Parker volcano

2002 earthquake & crater lake landslide
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred near Parker volcano on 6 March 2002 and an eruption alarm was triggered. The quake caused a portion of the volcano's crater wall to breach and fall into Lake Maughan at the top of the volcano. The landslide caused a flood from the lake that washed away houses and about 33 families were evacuated from river banks below Lake Maughan.

Parker Volcano FAQ

+When was the last eruption of Parker volcano?

The last confirmed eruption of Parker occurred during 1640 AD - 1641 AD.

+How often does Parker volcano erupt?

Since 1640 AD, Parker volcano has had at least 1 historically documented eruptions. This means that it erupts on average every 385 years.
Many eruptions of Parker have lasted more than one year. In total, the volcano has been in eruption during 2 out of 385 years until now. In other words, Parker has been active at least one in 192.5 years on average. Note that this value is likely an underestimate, because the known history of eruptions from Parker is likely incomplete, especially further back in time.

+When was the largest eruption of Parker volcano?

The largest eruption of Parker volcano in historic times occurred during 1640 AD - 1641 AD. It ranks as a plinian eruption with a magnitude 5 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale. Eruption of this size are often catastrophic on a regional scale.

Latest satellite images

See also: Sentinel hub | Landsat 8 | NASA FIRMS

Latest satellite images

Parker 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).