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Chaîne des Puys

Photo of this volcano
  • France
  • Lava dome(s)
  • 4040 BCE
  •  
  • Country
  • Primary Volcano Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  •  
  • 45.786°N
  • 2.981°E

  • 1464 m
    4803 ft

  • 210020
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports for Chaîne des Puys.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Chaîne des Puys.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Chaîne des Puys.

This compilation of synonyms and subsidiary features may not be comprehensive. Features are organized into four major categories: Cones, Craters, Domes, and Thermal Features. Synonyms of features appear indented below the primary name. In some cases additional feature type, elevation, or location details are provided.

Eruptive History

There is data available for 8 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

4040 BCE ± 150 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Montcineyre, Estivadoux, Pavin
4040 BCE ± 150 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 6 Events for Episode 1 at Montcineyre, Estivadoux, Pavin

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone
   - - - -    - - - - Scoria
   - - - -    - - - - Pumice

5760 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Puy de Come, Puy Montchier
5760 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Radiogenic: Thermoluminescence

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Puy de Come, Puy Montchier

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

6020 BCE ± 150 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Puy de Lassolas, Puy de la Vache
6020 BCE ± 150 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at Puy de Lassolas, Puy de la Vache

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone

6250 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Puy de Pariou
6250 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Radiogenic: Thermoluminescence

List of 8 Events for Episode 1 at Puy de Pariou

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Phreatic activity
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava lake
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone
   - - - -    - - - - Ash
   - - - -    - - - - Lapilli

6550 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Puys Chopine, Vasset, Cratère Kilian
6550 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 4 Events for Episode 1 at Puys Chopine, Vasset, Cratère Kilian

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Pyroclastic flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

7020 BCE ± 100 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Taphanel tephra
7020 BCE ± 100 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at Taphanel tephra

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra

7740 BCE (?) Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Puy Mey
7740 BCE (?) - Unknown Evidence from Radiogenic: Thermoluminescence

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at Puy Mey

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone

7840 BCE ± 200 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption Episode Western Puy de Dôme
7840 BCE ± 200 years - Unknown Evidence from Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated)

List of 3 Events for Episode 1 at Western Puy de Dôme

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
   - - - -    - - - - Tephra
Deformation History

There is no Deformation History data available for Chaîne des Puys.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Chaîne des Puys.

Photo Gallery

The Gour de Tazanet maar is the northernmost volcano of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic field in central France. The lake-filled explosion crater, one of many maars in the volcanic field, was formed when magma came in contact with groundwater. Rhythmic ejection of fragments of nonvolcanic rock produced bedded ash deposits and formed a low-rimmed crater, 700-m wide and 66-m deep.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft.
The Puy de Pariou cinder cone in the foreground and the Puy de Dôme lava dome in the background are part of a long N-S chain of volcanoes forming the Chaîne des Puy volcanic field in west-central France. The Puy de Pariou was formed about 8200 years ago inside a tuff ring from an earlier eruption whose rim can be seen at the lower right.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
Puy de Dôme (1464 m), the highest peak of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic field, originated during a series of eruptions about 10,000 years ago. Explosive destruction of the eastern side of a massive lava dome, whose western face is seen in this photo, was followed by growth of a second dome. Crumbling of a spine capping the second dome formed the low mound of breccia at the summit of Puy de Dôme, which has been covered by a pyroclastic-flow deposit from nearby Killian volcano.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
Puy de Dôme, in the France's Chaîne des Puys volcanic field, is a beautiful example of a nested pair of craters. The symmetrical crater at the summit of the cinder cone was formed by late-stage eruptions that built the small cone inside a larger crater rim produced by older eruptions.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft.
The twin breached cinder cones of Puy de Lassolas (left) and Puy de la Vache (right) were formed during eruptions about 8000 years ago. The cones were breached when moving lava flows carried away portions of them. A compound lava flow from the two cones traveled 14 km to the SE. The high peak in the distance to the north is the Puy de Dôme lava dome.

Copyrighted photo by Katia and Maurice Krafft, 1978.
The Chaîne des Puys is a N-S-trending chain of cones, maars, and lava domes in the Auvergne region of France. The Puy de Pariou crater in the foreground is a tuff cone that grew about 8,200 years ago within an earlier tuff ring, whose rim appears immediately behind Pariou crater. A lava flow traveled 8 km W to near the present-day city of Clermont-Ferrand. The sharper peak in the background is Puy de Chopine, whose complex history ended with domal uplift.

Photo by Loïc Jahan (Parc de Volcans, published in Green and Short, 1971).
The southern flanks of Puy de Dôme, the highest peak of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic chain, rises above farmlands. Puy de Dôme originated during a series of eruptions about 10,000 years ago. Explosive destruction of the eastern side (right) of a massive lava dome was followed by growth of a second dome. Crumbling of a spine capping the second dome formed the low mound of breccia at the summit of Puy de Dôme, which has been covered by a pyroclastic flow deposit from nearby Killian volcano.

Photo by Ichio Moriya (Kanazawa University).
The central part of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic chain in the Auvergne region of France from the SW. Puy de Dôme is the rounded peak in the center, Puy de Côme is at the left, and Puy de Laschamp is the scoria cone at the right. The N-S-trending chain of basaltic and trachytic cones, basaltic maars, and trachytic lava domes in France's Massif Central has been active into the Holocene. The latest well-documented activity took place about 6,000 years ago.

Photo by Ichio Moriya (Kanazawa University).
Part of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic field is shown in this May 2016 view from the Puy de Dome. The N-S trending volcanic chain includes around 80 lava domes, scoria cones, and maars, several of which are seen here.

Photo by Arianna Soldati, 2016.
The 500-m-high Puy de Dôme of the Chaîne des Puys volcanic field formed around 11,000 years ago. The dome, with a diameter of 1.5-2 km, is surrounded by pyroclastic density current deposits.

Photo by Arianna Soldati, 2016.
GVP Map Holdings

The Global Volcanism Program has no maps available for Chaîne des Puys.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 3 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections, and may be availble for research (contact the Rock and Ore Collections Manager). Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number Sample Description Lava Source Collection Date
NMNH 116691-1 Basalt Volcanic Bomb -- --
NMNH 116691-1 Basalt Volcanic Bomb -- --
NMNH 60678 Volcanic Bomb -- --
External Sites