Volcano info
Get to know the volcanos that we are currently streaming live.
Alert Level 1 (FROM 5)
Eruption – Caution
Mount Aso - Japan
Mount Aso is an active volcano located on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It is one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, with a caldera that measures approximately 25 kilometers across.
The volcano has multiple peaks, with the highest being Mount Nakadake, which stands at 1,506 meters above sea level. Mount Aso is known for its spectacular views and natural hot springs, and it is a popular destination for tourists and hikers. However, due to its active nature, the area is subject to frequent volcanic activity and visitors should always check for updates on current conditions before planning a visit.
- Type: Stratovolcano, Caldera & Pyroclastic Cones 1592 m / 5223 ft
- Location: Japan
- Current status: Be aware (2 out of 5)
- Last eruption: October 2021
Alert Level 1 (FROM 5)
Eruption – Stable
colima - mexico
Colima volcano is one of the most active volcanoes in North America and one of the potentially most dangerous ones. It has had more than 30 periods of eruptions since 1585, including several significant eruptions in the late 1990s. Scientific monitoring of the volcano began 20 years ago.
The Colima volcanic complex is the most prominent volcanic center of the western Mexican Volcanic Belt. It consists of two southward young ing volcanoes, Nevado de Colima (the 4320 m high point of the complex) on the north and the 3850 m high historically active Volcan de Colima at the south.
A group of cinder cones of probable late-Pleistocene age is located on the floor of the Colima graben west and east of the Colima complex. Volcan de Colima (also known as Volcan Fuego) is a youthful stratovolcano constructed within a5 km wide caldera, breached to the south,that has been the source of large debris avalanches. Major slope failures have occurred repeatedly from both the Nevado and Colima cones, and have produced a thick apron of debris-avalanche deposits on the three sides of the complex.
Frequent historical eruptions date back to the 16th century. Occasional major explosive eruptions (most recently in 1913) have destroyed the summit and left a deep, steep-sided crater that was slowly refilled and then overtopped by lava dome growth.
- Type: Stratovolcano 3850 m/12,631 ft
- Location: western Mexico, 19.51°N/-103.62°W
- Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
- Last eruption: 2013-ongoing
Alert Level 2
Eruption – On going
Mount Etna - sicily
Stratovolcano Mount Etna, One of the world’s longest documented records of historical volcanism, dating back to 1500 BCE, is found on Mount Etna, which dominates Catania, Sicily’s second-largest city. This enormous volcano, whose edifice is the highest and most massive in Italy, is covered in historical lava flows of basaltic composition on a large portion of its surface.
Over an older shield volcano, the Mongibello stratovolcano was built during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Its summit is truncated by several small calderas. The Valle del Bove, a horseshoe-shaped caldera measuring 5 by 10 km that is open to the east, is Etna’s most notable morphological feature.
Usually, two different types of eruptive activity take place, sometimes simultaneously. From one or more summit craters, there are ongoing explosive eruptions that occasionally emit small amounts of lava. Typically higher flank vents effusion rates, are less frequently active and originate from fissures that open progressively downward from near the summit (usually accompanied by Strombolian eruptions at the upper end). Cinder cones are commonly constructed over the vents of lower-flank lava flows.
Lava flows extend to the foot of the volcano on all sides and have reached the sea over a broad area on the SE flank
- Type: Complex Stratovolcano, 3329 m (changing due to eruptive activity and collapse of its crater rims)
- Location: Sicily, 37.75°N/14.99°E
- Current status: minor activity or eruption warning (3 out of 5) 30 November 2022)
- Last eruption: February-June 2022. New vent reported 27 November 2022.
Alert Level 4
Eruption – On going
fuego - Guatemala
Stratovolcano Volcán Fuego, one of Central America’s most active volcanoes, is also one of three large stratovolcanoes overlooking Guatemala’s former capital, Antigua. The scarp of an older edifice, Meseta, lies between Fuego and Acatenango to the north. Construction of Meseta dates back to about 230,000 years and continued until the late Pleistocene or early Holocene.
Collapse of Meseta may have produced the massive Escuintla debris-avalanche deposit, which extends about 50 km onto the Pacific coastal plain. Growth of the modern Fuego volcano followed, continuing the southward migration of volcanism that began at the mostly andesitic Acatenango. Eruptions at Fuego have become more mafic with time, and most historical activity has produced basaltic rocks.
Frequent vigorous historical eruptions have been recorded since the onset of the Spanish era in 1524, and have produced major ashfalls, along with occasional pyroclastic flows and lava flows.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 3763 m/12346 ft
- Location: Guatemala, 14.47°N, -90.88°W
- Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
- Last eruption: January 2002-ongoing
- Rock type: Basalt/Picro-Basalt and Andesite/Basaltic Andesite
Alert Level Yellow
Eruption – Ongoing
iceland
The Krýsuvík-Trölladyngja volcanic system is described by the Catalogue of Icelandic Volcanoes as an approximately 50-km-long composite fissure swarm trending about N38°E, including a 30-km-long swarm of fissures, with no central volcano.
It is one of the volcanic systems arranged en-echelon along the Reykjanes Peninsula west of Kleifarvatn lake. The Fagradalsfjall and Krýsuvík fissure swarms are considered splits or secondary swarms of the Krýsuvík–Trölladyngja volcanic system.
Small shield volcanoes have produced a large portion of the erupted volume within the system. Several eruptions have taken place since the settlement of Iceland, including the eruption of a large basaltic lava flow from the Ogmundargigar crater row around the 12th century. The latest eruption, identified through tephrochronology, took place during the 14th century.
Alert Level red (4 FROM 5)
Eruption – On going
merapi - Indonesia
Merapi, a steep Stratovolcano north of Central Java’s capital Yogyakarta, is Indonesia’s most active volcano. It erupts on an average every 5-10 years and is feared for its deadly pyroclastic flows—avalanches of hot rocks and gas that are generated when parts of new lava domes constructed during eruptions in the summit crater collapse and slide down the mountain’s steep flanks.
The name “Merapi” from old Javanese language means “the one making fire” is a popular name for volcanoes: another volcano with the same name Merapi is in the Ijen Massif in East Java and similarly called volcano “Marapi” lies on Sumatra Island.
- Type: Stratovolcano, Lava domes, 2910 m/9547 ft
- Location: Java, Indonesia, 7.54°S/110.446°E
- Eruption status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Rock type: Andesite/Basaltic Andesite,Trachyandesite, Basaltic Trachyandesite, Basalt/Picro-Basalt, Trachybasalt/Tephrite Basanite
Alert Level red (4 FROM 5)
Eruption – Ongoing
Popocatépetl - mexico
Volcan Popocatépetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, rises 70 km SE of Mexico City to form North America’s second highest volcano. The glacier clad Stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 400 x 600 m wide crater. The generally symmetrical volcano is modified by the sharp-peaked Ventorrillo on the NW, a remnant of an earlier volcano.
At least three previous major cones were destroyed by gravitational failure during the Pleistocene, producing massive debris-avalanche deposits covering broad areas to the south. The modern volcano was constructed south of the late-Pleistocene to Holocene El Fraile cone. Three major Plinian eruptions, the most recent of which took place about 800CE, have occurred since the mid-Holocene, accompanied by pyroclastic flows and voluminous Lamar’s that swept basins below the volcano.
Frequent historical eruptions, first recorded in Aztec codices, have occurred since Pre-Colombian time.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 5393 m/17694 ft
- Location: Mexico, 19.023°N/98.622°W
- Current status: erupting
- Last eruption: 1994-ongoing on irregular basis
- Rock type: Andesite/Basaltic Andesite, Dacite, Basalt/Picro-Basalt, Trachyandesite/Basaltic Trachyandesite
Alert Level 1 (FROM 5)
Eruption – Unrest
Ruapehu - new zealand
Stratovolcano Ruapehu, one of New Zealand’s most active volcanoes, is a complex stratovolcano constructed during at least four cone-building episodes dating back to about 200,000 years ago.
The dominantly andesitic 110 km3 volcanic massif is elongated in a NNE-SSW direction and surrounded by another 100 km3 ring plain of volcaniclastic debris, including the NW-flank Murimoto debris-avalanche deposit.
A series of subplinian eruptions took place between about 22,600 and 10,000 years ago, but pyroclastic flows have been infrequent. The broad summait area and flank contain at least six vents active during the Holocene.
Frequent mild-to-moderate explosive eruptions have been recorded from the Te Wai ā-Moe (Crater Lake) vent, and tephra characteristics suggest that the crater lake may have formed as recently as 3,000 years ago. Lahars resulting from phreatic eruptions at the summit crater lake are a hazard to a ski area on the upper flanks and lower river valleys.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 2797 m/9176 ft
- Location: North Island, New Zealand. -39.28°S/175.57°E
- Current status: normal or dormant (1 out of 5)
- Last eruption: 5 October 2022: low level seismic unrest continues
- Rock type: andesitic
Alert Level red (4 FROM 5)
Eruption – Ongoing
Sakurajima - Japan
Sakurajima (also spelled Sakurashima or Sakura-jima) volcano in southern Kyushu is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and one of the few that are at present in constant (persistent) activity. Its ongoing typical activity range from strong Strombolian to large ash explosions every 4-24 hours.
The volcano is the historically active center of the larger complex of the Aira caldera volcano. Located across Kagoshima Bay, which separates the city and the volcano by 4.2 km of water, it’s summit is only 8 k east of the city of Kagoshima with a population of half a million. Sakurajima’s eruptive history has been recorded since the 8th century. It frequently deposits ash on Kagoshima. Due to its explosive potential, it is considered a very dangerous volcano and closely monitored.
The largest historical eruptions of Sakurajima took place during 1471-76 and in 1914. In 2022, the activity at the volcano remains comparatively high, with 2-3 daily vulcanian explosions.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 1117 m/3665 ft
- Location: Japan, 31.59°N/130.66°E
- Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
- Last eruption: June 2022
Alert Level red (4 FROM 5)
Eruption – Ongoing
San miguel - El Salvador
One of El Salvador’s most active volcanoes, San Miguel’s symmetrical cone rises above sea level to create one of the nation’s most recognisable features. The truncated unvegetated peak, also known as Chaparrastique locally, is capped by a large, deep crater complex that has been frequently altered by eruptions documented from the early 16th century.
Several lava flows, including those that reached as far as the N, NE, and SE during the 17th and 19th centuries, were created by the basaltic-andesitic volcano’s flank eruptions. The greatest lava flows produce wide, sparsely vegetated lava fields along the SE flank of the volcano, which are traversed by roads and a railroad. Locations of the flank vents have moved up the edifice over time.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 2130 m / 6988 ft
- Location: El Salvador
- Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
- Last eruption: November 2022
Alert Level red (4 from 5)
Eruption – Ongoing
semeru - java
Stratovolcano Semeru, the highest volcano on Java, and one of its most active, lies at the southern end of a volcanic massif extending north to the Tengger caldera.
The steep-sided volcano, also referred to as Mahameru (Great Mountain), rises above coastal plains to the south. Gunung Semeru was constructed south of the overlapping Ajek-ajek and Jambangan calderas.
A line of lake-filled maars was constructed along a N-S trend cutting through the summit, and cinder cones and lava domes occupy the eastern and NE flanks. Summit topography is complicated by the shifting of craters from NW to SE.
Frequent 19th and 20th century eruptions were dominated by small-to-moderate explosions from the summit crater, with occasional lava flows and larger explosive eruptions accompanied by pyroclastic flows that have reached the lower flanks of the volcano.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 3676 m/12060 ft
- Location: East Java, Indonesia, -8.11°S/112.92°E
- Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
- Last eruption: nearly continuous since 1967
Alert Level red (4 from 5)
Eruption – On going
stromboli - Sicily
Stromboli, a small island north of Sicily, is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and famous for its normally small, but regular explosions throwing out glowing lava from several vents inside its summit crater. This activity has been going on for at least 2000 years, as long as there is written memory of the activity, which Stromboli lended it’s name to, the so-called Strombolian activity.
Mount Stromboli is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily. It is one of seven Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily; these islands are also known as the Lipari Islands. Stromboli stands 926 m/3038 ft above sea level, and over 2700 m/8860 ft on average above the sea floor. The island’s area is 12.6 square kilometers.
There are three active craters at the peak. A significant geological feature of the volcano is the Sciara del Fuoco (stream of fire), a big horseshoe-shaped depression created in the last 13,000 years by several collapses on the northwestern side of the cone. Approximately 2 kilometers (1 ¼ miles) northeast lies Strombolicchio, the volcanic plug remnant of the original volcano.
- Type: Stratovolcano, 926 m
- Location: Eolian Islands, Italy, 38.790° N/15.21° E
- Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
- Latest eruption: 16 November 2022 (new lava flow on Sciara del Fuoco)
Alert Level 3 (FROM 5)
Eruption – Stable
taal - Philippines
Taal Volcano with its lake-filled 15×20 km wide Talisay (Taal) caldera is a beautiful caldera volcano, but also one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes of the Philippines.
Taal has had some of the country’s largest and deadliest eruptions: at least 6 eruptions during the recorded history of Taal since 1572 claimed fatalities, most from powerful pyroclastic flows, as well as tsunamis produced in the crater lake.
- Type: caldera, 311m/1,020 ft
- Location: Luzon, Philippines, 14°N/120.99°E
- Current status: Minor activity or eruption warning (3 out of 5)
- Last eruption: 1965
Yellowstone
Three volcanic cycles spanning two million years and some of the greatest known eruptions in the history of the planet led to the development of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic area. The more than 75-km-long Island Park caldera was formed around 2.1 million years ago by the eruption of the more than 2,450 km3 Huckleberry Ridge Tuff.
The Mesa Falls Tuff eruption, which occurred around 1.3 million years ago and created the 16-km-wide Henrys Fork caldera at the western end of the first caldera, marked the end of the second cycle. Following a change in activity to the present-day Yellowstone Plateau, the eruption of the over 1,000 km3 Lava Creek Tuff and the creation of the current 45 x 85 km caldera occurred 640,000 years ago.
- Type: caldera, lava dome, pyroclastic cones, 2805 m / 9203 ft
- Location: Yellowstone National Park
- Last eruption: Pleistocene
Source: Volcano Discovery, volcanodiscovery.com; Smithsonian Institute, Global Volcanism Program, Wiki, Creative Commons
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