Jan Mayen (Beerenberg)
The World's Northernmost Active Volcano
2,277 m
1985
Stratovolcano
Norway
Location
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Volcanic Hazards & Risk Assessment
Primary Hazards
- Pyroclastic flows
- Lava flows
- Volcanic bombs and ballistics
- Lahars and mudflows
Risk Level
Geological Composition & Structure
Rock Types
Tectonic Setting
Age & Formation
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 | 41 years ago | Recent | Recently active |
Monitoring & Alert Status
Monitoring Networks
Current Status
Authority Sources
Interesting Facts
Beerenberg is the northernmost active subaerial volcano on Earth, located at 71°N latitude — well within the Arctic Circle and farther north than any point on the Alaskan or Siberian mainland.
The 1970 eruption went undetected for three days by nearly 40 people stationed just 30 km away, finally noticed only when commercial aircraft pilots reported the eruption cloud.
More than 20 glaciers cover approximately 30% of Jan Mayen's surface, and some extend their tongues to sea level — making Beerenberg one of the rare places where active lava flows can interact directly with glacial ice.
The 1985 eruption lasted only 35–40 hours but produced approximately 7 million m³ of lava — enough to bury a football pitch under 1,400 m of rock.
Jan Mayen's sole human population consists of approximately 18 Norwegian military and meteorological personnel who rotate through the station at Olonkinbyen.
Beerenberg's name means 'Bear Mountain' in Dutch, given by 17th-century whalers who encountered polar bears on the island's shores.
The island sits at the junction of three major tectonic features: the Mohn's Ridge, the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone, and the Jan Mayen Ridge microcontinent — a fragment of Greenland separated 55 million years ago.
During the 1985 eruption, observers in a Norwegian Coast Guard helicopter reported the Arctic sea 'boiling' up to 150 m from shore where lava entered the ocean.
James Wordie, who had served on Shackleton's ill-fated Endurance expedition to Antarctica, was among the first people to reach Beerenberg's summit in 1921.
Between 600 and 800 earthquakes per day were recorded during the 1970 eruption, with the volcanic fissure stretching 6 km across the northeastern flank.
Jan Mayen is approximately 53 km long but only a few hundred meters wide at the narrow isthmus separating the Beerenberg volcano from the Sør-Jan volcanic field.
The Sør-Jan volcanic complex produces trachytic lavas — a more evolved, silica-rich magma chemistry distinct from Beerenberg's basaltic output — indicating two separate magmatic plumbing systems beneath the island.