Erebus – stratovolcano, Antarctica

About the volcano

Erebus rises on Ross Island, near the American McMurdo Station and New Zealand's Scott Base. A lava lake – one of the few long-lived ones in the world – has persisted in its crater for decades, and small explosions toss volcanic bombs onto the slopes. The GVP regards its eruption as continuous since 1972. Hot vents under the ice have carved ice caves, and ice towers of frozen steam stand on its flanks. In 1979 an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed into the slopes of Erebus, killing 257 people.

Eruption history

VEI – Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0 = lava outpouring, 4 = like Eyjafjallajökull 2010, 6 = like Pinatubo 1991, 7 = like Tambora 1815. The scale is logarithmic – each step is about 10 times more material.

Start	End	VEI	Vent and dating
16 December 1972	continuing	2	Observations: Reported
3 January 1972	—	1	Observations: Reported
16 November 1963	—	0	Observations: Reported
2 July 1955	—	2	Observations: Reported
16 February 1947	—	2	Observations: Reported
16 August 1915	—	2	Observations: Reported
22 March 1915	—	2	Observations: Reported
12 December 1912	—	2	Observations: Reported
16 October 1911	—	2	Observations: Reported
16 April 1911	16 June 1911	2	Observations: Reported
16 March 1908	16 November 1908	2	Observations: Reported
1 January 1903	—	0	Observations: Reported
28 January 1841	16 February 1841	1	Observations: Reported
950 ± 4,000 years	—	0	Isotopic: Ar/Ar
2,050 BCE ± 3,000 years	—	0	Western Crater (Upper Ice Tower flow) · Isotopic: Ar/Ar
2,950 BCE ± 300 years	—	0	North flank (Lower Hut lava flow) · Isotopic: Cosmic Ray Exposure
4,050 BCE ± 500 years	—	0	Lower Ice Tower Ridge, S lava flows · Isotopic: Cosmic Ray Exposure
4,550 BCE ± 500 years	—	0	NE flank · Isotopic: Cosmic Ray Exposure
7,050 BCE ± 2,000 years	—	0	NW flank · Isotopic: Ar/Ar
8,050 BCE ± 5,000 years	—	0	NNW flank · Isotopic: Ar/Ar

Data: Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution (#390020) · Wikipedia (pl) · Wikipedia (en)