Mount Erebus
Earth's Southernmost Active Volcano
Elevation
3,794 m
Last Eruption
2025 CE (ongoing)
Type
Stratovolcano
Country
Antarctica
Location
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Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
- Pyroclastic flows
- Lava flows
- Volcanic bombs and ballistics
- Lahars and mudflows
Risk Level
Population at RiskLow
Infrastructure RiskHigh
Aviation RiskSignificant
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Primary
Unknown
Silica Content
Varied composition
Tectonic Setting
Unknown
Intraplate setting with hotspot or regional volcanic activity.
Age & Formation
Epoch
Unknown
Evidence
Unknown
Eruption Statistics & Analysis
| Metric | Value | Global Ranking | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Recorded Eruptions | Unknown | Low | Moderately active volcano |
| Maximum VEI | VEI Unknown | Minor | Local impact potential |
| Recent Activity | 1 years ago | Very Recent | Currently active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Global Volcanism Program
International eruption database
Current Status
Active
Recent volcanic activity detected. Continuous monitoring in place.
Authority Sources
Other Volcanoes in Antarctica
- Deception Island
Caldera
Interesting Facts
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Mount Erebus hosts the only known persistent lava lake of phonolitic composition on Earth — all other persistent lava lakes are basaltic or nephelinitic.
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The lava lake has been continuously active since at least 1972, making it one of the longest-documented persistent lava lakes in the world.
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Erebus's lava lake temperature has been measured at 980 ± 20°C using optical pyrometry — hot enough to melt aluminum.
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The volcano was named after HMS Erebus, Captain James Clark Ross's flagship, which — along with sister ship Terror — was later lost in the Franklin expedition, where all 129 men perished in the Canadian Arctic.
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Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Mount Erebus on 28 November 1979, killing all 257 aboard — the worst civil disaster in New Zealand's history.
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Erebus emits approximately 1,300 tonnes of CO₂ per day, making it one of the few well-characterized sources of volcanic gas in the Antarctic atmosphere.
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The volcano is located just 35 km from McMurdo Station, where ~1,000 researchers and support staff work during the austral summer.
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Summit temperatures at Erebus regularly drop below -40°C, making it one of the most hostile volcanic research environments on the planet.
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During the 1986–87 field season, researchers observed approximately two strong Strombolian eruptions per day, with bombs thrown to heights of hundreds of meters.
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Peak satellite thermal activity was recorded in 2009, with MODVOLC detecting 2,514 thermal alert pixels — over 20 times the annual count in the year 2000.
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The Mt. Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO) operated ground-based seismic monitoring for 36 years (1980–2016) before funding was suspended.
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HMS Erebus was rediscovered in Arctic waters in September 2014 — 169 years after it was lost — by a Parks Canada underwater archaeology team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Erebus still active?
Yes, Mount Erebus is one of the most continuously active volcanoes on Earth. A persistent lava lake of rare phonolitic composition has been documented in the summit crater since 1972, accompanied by ongoing Strombolian explosions that range from minor bubble bursts to larger events ejecting bombs onto the crater rim. Satellite thermal monitoring confirms continuous activity through 2025, with a 'very large' eruption recorded on 14 October 2025. The volcano was actively erupting when first sighted by Captain James Ross in 1841, and it has likely been in a state of near-continuous eruption for far longer than the observational record covers.
Where is Mount Erebus?
Mount Erebus is located on Ross Island, Antarctica, at coordinates 77.53°S, 167.17°E. Ross Island is situated in the Ross Sea, approximately 90 km east of the Antarctic continent's edge, off the Scott Coast. The volcano lies roughly 35 km north-northeast of McMurdo Station (United States) and Scott Base (New Zealand), the two primary research facilities in the region. Ross Island is connected to the Antarctic continent via the Ross Ice Shelf. Erebus is Earth's southernmost historically active volcano.
What type of lava does Mount Erebus have?
Mount Erebus produces phonolite, specifically anorthoclase phonolite — a rare alkalic volcanic rock rich in sodium and potassium feldspars and relatively low in silica. This composition is unique among the world's persistent lava lakes, which are otherwise basaltic or nephelinitic. Erebus phonolite contains distinctive large crystals of anorthoclase feldspar, sometimes several centimeters across. Compared to typical subduction-zone volcanoes, Erebus magma is exceptionally CO₂-rich, and the CO₂/CO ratio is consistent with the oxygen fugacity of Erebus phonolite estimated from mineral compositions — making the volcano a globally important reference for alkalic volcanism.
What happened in the Erebus disaster of 1979?
On 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand Flight TE901 — a DC-10 sightseeing flight from Auckland carrying 257 people — crashed into the lower slopes of Mount Erebus at 447 m elevation, killing everyone aboard. Unknown to the pilots, the airline's navigation section had altered flight coordinates in the early hours that morning, shifting the programmed route from McMurdo Sound (flat sea ice) to directly over Ross Island and Mount Erebus. The crew descended to approximately 610 m for sightseeing in conditions likely involving sector whiteout. A Royal Commission found the airline, not the pilots, primarily at fault. It remains New Zealand's worst civil disaster.
Can you visit Mount Erebus?
Mount Erebus is not accessible to conventional tourists. The volcano is located on Ross Island, Antarctica, reachable only through national Antarctic program logistics or rare expedition cruises. Scientists conducting field research are supported by the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), with helicopter transport from McMurdo Station. Field seasons are limited to the austral summer (November–February), when summit temperatures still regularly drop below -40°C. Expedition cruise ships in the Ross Sea may offer distant views, but landing on Ross Island is restricted under the Antarctic Treaty System.
How tall is Mount Erebus?
Mount Erebus stands 3,794 m (12,448 ft) above sea level, making it the second-highest volcano in Antarctica after Mount Sidley (4,181 m). It is the highest point on Ross Island and the most prominent peak visible from McMurdo Station and Scott Base. The volcano rises from near sea level, giving it nearly its full height as topographic relief — an imposing presence in the Antarctic landscape. The summit hosts an elliptical crater 500 × 600 m wide and 110 m deep, containing a smaller inner crater with the active lava lake.
What type of volcano is Mount Erebus?
Mount Erebus is a stratovolcano (composite volcano) built primarily of phonolitic lava flows and pyroclastic deposits. Unlike most famous stratovolcanoes, which sit above subduction zones, Erebus is an intraplate volcano associated with the West Antarctic Rift System and possibly a deep mantle plume. Its alkalic magma composition — dominated by phonolite rather than the andesite or basalt typical of subduction volcanoes — reflects this tectonic setting. The summit has been modified by one or two generations of caldera collapse, with the modern cone built within the youngest late-Pleistocene caldera.
Why is Mount Erebus scientifically important?
Mount Erebus provides a unique natural laboratory for studying several volcanic phenomena. Its persistent phonolite lava lake — the only one of its kind on Earth — allows direct observation of alkalic magma dynamics, degassing processes, and crystallization in a continuously active system. The volcano's extreme polar location offers insights into volcanic-ice interactions. Its gas emissions serve as reference data for interpreting volcanic signals in Antarctic ice cores. The rare anorthoclase crystals in Erebus lava enable study of crystallization histories on thousand-year timescales. Decades of monitoring data from MEVO have produced fundamental contributions to volcanic seismology and infrasound research.
How is Mount Erebus monitored?
Since the suspension of the Mt. Erebus Volcano Observatory's ground-based program in 2016, Erebus has been monitored primarily by satellite. The MODIS instruments on NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites, analyzed via the MODVOLC algorithm, provide near-continuous thermal alert data. Sentinel-2 optical imagery gives higher-resolution views of the lava lake. Before 2016, MEVO operated up to 10 seismometers, infrasound sensors, GPS receivers, and webcams at the volcano. Field campaigns with FTIR spectroscopy measured volcanic gas emissions during austral summers. The transition to satellite-only monitoring, while providing broad coverage, has reduced the ability to detect smaller events and subtle changes.
Does Mount Erebus affect climate?
Mount Erebus has no measurable global climate impact. Its eruptions are small-scale Strombolian events confined to the summit crater, ejecting negligible volumes of material into the atmosphere compared to climate-altering eruptions like Tambora (1815) or Pinatubo (1991). However, the volcano's continuous degassing — approximately 1,300 tonnes of CO₂ and 860 tonnes of H₂O per day — is of scientific interest as a persistent volcanic gas source in the Antarctic atmosphere. Trace volcanic species from Erebus have been detected in surrounding snow and ice, providing modern calibration data for interpreting volcanic signals preserved in Antarctic ice cores.