Global Volcanism Program | Kerguelen Islands

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports for Kerguelen Islands.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Kerguelen Islands.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Kerguelen Islands.

Basic Data

Volcano Number

Last Known Eruption

Elevation

Latitude
Longitude

234020

Unknown - Evidence Uncertain

1840 m / 6035 ft

49.58°S
69.5°E

Volcano Types

Stratovolcano(es)
Pyroclastic cone(s)

Rock Types

Major
Trachyandesite / Basaltic Trachyandesite
Trachyte / Trachydacite
Phono-tephrite / Tephri-phonolite

Tectonic Setting

Intraplate
Oceanic crust (< 15 km)

Population

Within 5 km
Within 10 km
Within 30 km
Within 100 km

0
0
0
0

Geological Summary

The Kerguelen Islands are composed primarily of Tertiary flood basalts and a complex of plutonic rocks. The trachybasaltic-to-trachytic Mount Ross stratovolcano at the S end was active during the late Pleistocene. The Rallier du Baty Peninsula on the SW tip of the island contains two youthful subglacial eruptive centers, Mont St. Allouarn and Mont Henri Rallier du Baty. An active fumarole field is related to a series of Holocene trachytic lava flows and lahars that extend beyond the icecap (Ballestracci and Nougier, 1984). Gagnevin et al. (2003) dated a trachytic ignimbrite that was considered to represent the last major eruptive event on the Kerguelen Archipelago at 26,000 +/- 3000 years.

References

The following references have all been used during the compilation of data for this volcano, it is not a comprehensive bibliography.

Ballestracci R, Nougier J, 1984. Detection by infrared thermography and modelling of an icecapped geothermal system in Kerguelen Archipelago. J Volc Geotherm Res, 20: 85-100.

Gagnevin D, Ethien R, Bonin B, Moine B, Feraud G, Gerbe M C, Cottin J Y, Michon G, Tourpin S, Mamias G, Perrache C, Giret A, 2003. Open-system processes in the genesis of silica-oversaturated alkaline rocks of the Rallier-du-Baty Peninsula, Kerguelen Archipelago (Indian Ocean). J Volc Geotherm Res, 123: 267-300.

LeMasurier W E, Thomson J W (eds), 1990. Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. Washington, D C: Amer Geophys Union, 487 p.

Neumann van Padang M, 1963. Arabia and the Indian Ocean. Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World and Solfatara Fields, Rome: IAVCEI, 16: 1-64.

Nougier J, 1972. Geochronology of the volcanic activity in Iles Kerguelen. In: Adie R J (ed) {Antarctic Geol and Geophys}, IUGS Ser-B(1): 803-808.

Weis D, Frey F A, Giret A, Cantagrel J-M, 1998. Geochemical characteristics of the youngest volcano (Mount Ross) in the Kerguelen Archipelago: inferences for magma flux, lithosphere assimilation and composition of the Kerguelen plume. J Petr, 39: 973-994.

The Global Volcanism Program is not aware of any Holocene eruptions from Kerguelen Islands. If this volcano has had large eruptions (VEI >= 4) prior to 10,000 years ago, information might be found on the Kerguelen Islands page in the LaMEVE (Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions) database, a part of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

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.

Cones

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Aiguille Noire

Cone

Dent Bicorne

Cone

Dent Blanches

Cone

Erebus

Cone

Guynemer, Massif

Stratovolcano

Henri Rallier du Baty, Mont

Cone

Ross, Mount

Stratovolcano

1840 m

49° 35' 0" S

69° 30' 0" E

St. Allouran
Saint Allouran

Cone

Craters

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Dôma Carva

Pleistocene caldera

Table de l'Institut

Pleistocene caldera

49° 30' 0" S

68° 57' 0" E

Thermal

Feature Name

Feature Type

Elevation

Latitude

Longitude

Fumarolles, Mont des

Fumarole

Photo Gallery

The Rallier du Baty Peninsula (lower left) forms the SW tip of Kerguelen Island. It contains two youthful subglacial eruptive centers, Mont St. Allouarn and Mont Henri Rallier du Baty. An active fumarole field is related to a series of Holocene trachytic lava flows and lahars that extend beyond the icecap. The snow-covered peak at the mid-right is late-Pleistocene Mount Ross stratovolcano. The Kerguelen Islands are composed primarily of Tertiary flood basalts and a complex of plutonic rocks extensively modified by glaciation.

NASA Space Shuttle image ISS005-E-21805, 2002 (http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/).

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 11 samples associated with this volcano can be found in the Smithsonian's NMNH Department of Mineral Sciences collections. Catalog number links will open a window with more information.

Catalog Number	Sample Description
NMNH 110035-1	Pyroxenite with pyroxene and basalt
NMNH 110036-1	Olivine xenolith
NMNH 110037-1	Olivine xenolith
NMNH 110038-1	Xenolithic
NMNH 110039-1	Xenolithic
NMNH 110040-1	Xenolithic
NMNH 110041-1	Oceanite
NMNH 110042-1	Olivine nodule
NMNH 110043-1	Basalt
NMNH 110044-1	Basalt
NMNH 110045-1	Oceanite

Affiliated Sites

Large Eruptions of Kerguelen Islands

Information about large Quaternary eruptions (VEI >= 4) is cataloged in the Large Magnitude Explosive Volcanic Eruptions (LaMEVE) database of the Volcano Global Risk Identification and Analysis Project (VOGRIPA).

WOVOdat

WOVOdat is a database of volcanic unrest; instrumentally and visually recorded changes in seismicity, ground deformation, gas emission, and other parameters from their normal baselines. It is sponsored by the World Organization of Volcano Observatories (WOVO) and presently hosted at the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

EarthChem

EarthChem develops and maintains databases, software, and services that support the preservation, discovery, access and analysis of geochemical data, and facilitate their integration with the broad array of other available earth science parameters. EarthChem is operated by a joint team of disciplinary scientists, data scientists, data managers and information technology developers who are part of the NSF-funded data facility Integrated Earth Data Applications (IEDA). IEDA is a collaborative effort of EarthChem and the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS).

MODVOLC - HIGP MODIS Thermal Alert System

Using infrared satellite Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data, scientists at the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawai'i, developed an automated system called MODVOLC to map thermal hot-spots in near real time. For each MODIS image, the algorithm automatically scans each 1 km pixel within it to check for high-temperature hot-spots. When one is found the date, time, location, and intensity are recorded. MODIS looks at every square km of the Earth every 48 hours, once during the day and once during the night, and the presence of two MODIS sensors in space allows at least four hot-spot observations every two days. Each day updated global maps are compiled to display the locations of all hot spots detected in the previous 24 hours. There is a drop-down list with volcano names which allow users to 'zoom-in' and examine the distribution of hot-spots at a variety of spatial scales.

MIROVA

Middle InfraRed Observation of Volcanic Activity (MIROVA) is a near real time volcanic hot-spot detection system based on the analysis of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data. In particular, MIROVA uses the Middle InfraRed Radiation (MIR), measured over target volcanoes, in order to detect, locate and measure the heat radiation sourced from volcanic activity.