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Tristan da Cunha

Shield volcano · United Kingdom · 2060m

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.
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: Photo by Vicky Hards, 2004 (British Geological Survey, copyrighted NERC). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Shield volcano
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Atlantic Ocean Volcanic Regions / Southern Atlantic Volcano Group
Elevation
2060m
Coordinates
-37.092, -12.280
Last eruption
1962
Tectonic setting
Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)
Landform
Shield
Major rock type
Trachybasalt / Tephrite Basanite
Geological summary

Tristan da Cunha is a 13-km-wide island volcano lying about 500 km E of the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge just south of the latitudes of Buenos Aires and Cape Town. The shield volcano is bounded on most sides by high cliffs. 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. Eruptions have occurred from the 300-m-wide summit crater, Queen Mary's Peak, which contains a small lake, and from numerous flank vents, some of which occurred from radial fissures. Radial dike swarms are prominently exposed on all sides of the island. Numerous Strombolian cinder cones occur on the flanks along both concentric ring structures and NNW- and ENE-trending radial fissures. The only historical eruption occurred during 1961 from a north shore vent and forced the evacuation of the island's only settlement.

From Wikipedia

Tristan da Cunha, colloquially known as Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, with its own constitution.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
1700~1726 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1935~1961 · 1 eruptions · max VEI 217001752183118831935

Detailed timeline

  1. 1961VEI 2Observed
    1961-10-10 – 1962-03-15
    North flank
  2. 1700 (±50 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1700 – Ongoing
    South flank

External links

⚠ For reference only. Not for emergency response.