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Tristan da Cunha

Photo of this volcano
  • Country
  • Volcanic Region
  • Landform | Volc Type
  • Last Known Eruption
  • 37.092°S
  • 12.28°W

  • 2,060 m
    6,759 ft

  • 386010
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

  • Summit
    Elevation

  • Volcano
    Number

The Global Volcanism Program has no activity reports available for Tristan da Cunha.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Weekly Reports available for Tristan da Cunha.

The Global Volcanism Program has no Bulletin Reports available for Tristan da Cunha.

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 2 confirmed Holocene eruptive periods.

1961 Oct 10 - 1962 Mar 15 Confirmed Eruption VEI: 2

Episode 1 | Eruption North flank
1961 Oct 10 - 1962 Mar 15 Evidence from Observations: Reported

List of 9 Events for Episode 1 at North flank

Start Date End Date Event Type Event Remarks
   - - - -    - - - - Explosion
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow
   - - - -    - - - - Lava flow Entered water.
   - - - -    - - - - Lava dome
   - - - -    - - - - Cinder Cone
   - - - -    - - - - Earthquakes (undefined) Before.
   - - - -    - - - - Property Damage
   - - - -    - - - - Evacuations
1961 Oct 10    - - - - VEI (Explosivity Index)

1700 ± 50 years Confirmed Eruption  

Episode 1 | Eruption South flank
1700 ± 50 years - Unknown Evidence from Correlation: Tephrochronology

List of 2 Events for Episode 1 at South flank

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

There is no Deformation History data available for Tristan da Cunha.

Emission History

There is no Emissions History data available for Tristan da Cunha.

Photo Gallery

The HMS Challenger lies off Tristan da Cunha island in this 1878 plate from "The Voyage of the Challenger." This converted military vessel was outfitted for scientific surveys and circumnavigated the globe over 3.5 years. The island can be seen to comprise a tall central volcano rising above steep coastal cliffs that truncate lava flows. Pyroclastic cones are shown on the flanks.

Plate from Thomson, 1878 (courtesy of NOAA Photo Library).
The southwest side of Tristan da Cunha volcano rises above the southern Atlantic ocean. The summit cone Queen Mary’s Peak towers above high cliffs along most of the 12-km-wide island. Lava flows dominate both the low-angle base and the steep upper flanks, although pyroclastic cones ringing the central cone are scattered around the lower flanks. An eruption in 1961 occurred from a vent on the northern coast, just east of the island's only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, forcing its evacuation.

Photo by Vicky Hards, 2004 (British Geological Survey, copyrighted NERC).
A lava flow on Tristan da Cunha extends approximately 700 m to the sea from a small lava dome formed during the eruption of 1961-1962. The flow is seen here from the SW with the island's only habited area, the village of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, in the foreground. The eruption began on 10 October 1961 and prompted the evacuation of the island's entire population to England. The eruption ended on 15 March 1962, and resettlement began in September of that year.

Photo by Vicky Hards, 2004 (British Geological Survey, copyrighted NERC).
This pumice block, with a one-pound coin for scale (diameter ~24 mm), was collected from the ocean surface near Tristan da Cunha on 3 August 2004. An earthquake swarm lasting 6 hours beginning on 29 July was felt on the island and followed by observations of large blocks of floating pumice.

Photo by Vicky Hards, 2004 (British Geological Survey, copyrighted NERC).
GVP Map Holdings

The Global Volcanism Program has no maps available for Tristan da Cunha.

Smithsonian Sample Collections Database

The following 7 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 110014 Trachyandesite -- --
NMNH 110015 Trachyandesite -- --
NMNH 110016 Trachyandesite -- --
NMNH 110017 Olivine Basalt -- --
NMNH 110018 Olivine Basalt -- --
NMNH 110019 Basalt -- --
NMNH 110020 Basalt -- --
External Sites