South Africa Volcanoes
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Marion Island
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Marion Island
South Africa has 2 Holocene volcanoes. Note that as a scientific organization we provide these listings for informational purposes only, with no international legal or policy implications. Volcanoes will be included on this list if they are within the boundaries of a country, on a shared boundary or area, in a remote territory, or within a maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. Bolded volcanoes have erupted within the past 20 years. Suggestions and data updates are always welcome ().
| Volcano Name | Location | Last Eruption | Primary Volcano Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Island | Indian Ocean (southern) | 2004 CE | Shield(s) |
| Prince Edward Island | Indian Ocean (southern) | Unknown - Evidence Credible | Shield |
Chronological listing of known Holocene eruptions (confirmed or uncertain) from volcanoes in South Africa. Bolded eruptions indicate continuing activity.
| Volcano Name | Start Date | Stop Date | Certainty | VEI | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marion Island | 2004 Jun 24 | 2004 Jun 24 (?) | Confirmed | 1 | Observations: Reported |
| Marion Island | 1980 Sep 16 (?) ± 15 days | Unknown | Confirmed | 1 | Observations: Reported |
South Africa has 0 Pleistocene volcanoes. Note that as a scientific organization we provide these listings for informational purposes only, with no international legal or policy implications. Volcanoes will be included on this list if they are within the boundaries of a country, on a shared boundary or area, in a remote territory, or within a maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. Suggestions and data updates are always welcome ().
There are 2 photos available for volcanoes in South Africa.
Marion Island, South Africa's only historically active volcano, is seen from the NE with the meteorological station in the foreground. The red scoria cone is the lowest of a NE-trending chain of cones extending from the near the summit of the shield volcano. The meteorological station sits on Pleistocene lava flows. The island includes about 150 scoria cones and coastal tuff cones, most of which formed during the Holocene. The first historical eruption took place in 1980.Photo by Ian Meiklejohn (University of Pretoria).
The 10-km-wide Prince Edward Island is around 300 km S of the SW Indian Ocean Ridge and is shown in this 24 May 2019 Sentinel-2 satellite image (N is at the top). Seven tuff cones have been identified and scoria cones have also formed across the island, as well as lava flows. A large portion of the island has been submerged through faulting. Satellite image courtesy of Copernicus Sentinel Data, 2019.
This is a compilation of South Africa volcano information sources, such as official monitoring or other government agencies.
| Volcanic Ash Advisory Center | |
|---|---|
| Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Notices and Archive | |
