Erebus, Antarctica

Volcano Type:      Stratovolcano
Volcano Status:    Historical
Last Known Eruption:     2010 (continuing)
Summit Elevation:     3794 m     12,447 feet
Latitude:     77.53°S     77°32’0″S
Longitude:     167.17°E     167°10’0″E

Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost historically active volcano, overlooks the McMurdo research station on Ross Island. The 3794-m-high Erebus is the largest of three major volcanoes forming the crudely triangular Ross Island. The summit of the dominantly phonolitic Mount Erebus has been modified by one or two generations of caldera formation. A summit plateau at about 3200-m altitude marks the rim of the youngest caldera, which formed during the late-Pleistocene and within which the modern cone was constructed. An elliptical 500 x 600 m wide, 110-m-deep crater truncates the summit and contains an active lava lake within a 250-m-wide, 100-m-deep inner crater. The glacier-covered volcano was erupting when first sighted by Captain James Ross in 1841. Continuous lava-lake activity with minor explosions, punctuated by occasional larger strombolian explosions that eject bombs onto the crater rim, has been documented since 1972, but has probably been occurring for much of the volcano’s recent history.

Mt. Erebus

Mount Erebus is the world’s southernmost historically active volcano. The volcano is located on the western half of Ross Island. Erebus is noted for its convecting anorthoclase phonolite lava lake. Mt Erebus was discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross. In 1979 an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all on board.

Smoke coming out from Mt. Erebus

Strombolian eruptions occur from the surface of the lava lake. The lava lake activity is midway between the low level of Erta Ale and the high activity at Ambrym. Erebus plays an important role in the chemistry of Antarctic atmosphere. The volcano contains a stable near-summit magma reservoir. Erebus is one of the volcanic seven summits. Other inactive volcanoes on Ross Island are Mt Bird, Mt Terra Nova, and Mt Terror.

Originally posted 2010-08-09 20:22:09.