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Deception Island

Caldera · Antarctica · 602m

Deception Island in Antarctica contains a 7-km-wide caldera flooded by the sea. A narrow passageway named Neptune’s Bellows cuts through the caldera wall to the left. Numerous vents located along the caldera ring fractures around the low, 14-km-wide island have been active during historical time. Maars produced by magma-water interaction occur across the shores of the 190-m-deep Port Foster.
Deception Island in Antarctica contains a 7-km-wide caldera flooded by the sea. A narrow passageway named Neptune’s Bellows cuts through the caldera wall to the left. Numerous vents located along the caldera ring fractures around the low, 14-km-wide island have been active during historical time. Maars produced by magma-water interaction occur across the shores of the 190-m-deep Port Foster. · Photo: Photo by Juan Bastias (published in González-Ferrán, 1995). · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Antarctica
Region
Antarctic-Scotia Volcanic Regions / South Shetlands Volcanic Arc
Elevation
602m
Coordinates
-62.957, -60.637
Last eruption
1970
Tectonic setting
Intraplate / Continental crust (> 25 km)
Landform
Caldera
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Geological summary

Ring-shaped Deception Island, at the SW end of the South Shetland Islands, NE of Graham Land Peninsula, was constructed along the axis of the Bransfield Rift spreading center. A narrow passageway named Neptunes Bellows provides an entrance to a natural harbor within the 8.5 x 10 km caldera that was utilized as an Antarctic whaling station. Numerous vents along ring fractures circling the low 14-km-wide island have been reported active for more than 200 years. Maars line the shores of 190-m-deep Port Foster caldera bay. Among the largest of these maars is 1-km-wide Whalers Bay, at the entrance to the harbor. Eruptions during the past 8,700 years have been dated from ash layers in lake sediments on the Antarctic Peninsula and neighboring islands.

From Wikipedia

Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbour, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. The island previously held a whaling station. It has now become a tourist destination, attracting over 15,000 visitors annually. Two research stations are operated by Argentina and Spain during the summer season. While various countries have asserted sovereignty, it is still administered under the Antarctic Treaty System, meaning it is under no control.

Wikipedia · CC BY-SA · Read full article →

Eruption history

Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions
6750 BCE~6459 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?3255 BCE~2964 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?2964 BCE~2673 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1799 BCE~1508 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?925 BCE~634 BCE · 3 eruptions · max VEI ?634 BCE~343 BCE · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?343 BCE~52 BCE · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?52 BCE~240 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?531~822 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?822~1113 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1113~1405 · 1 eruptions · max VEI ?1405~1696 · 2 eruptions · max VEI ?1696~1987 · 11 eruptions · max VEI 36750 BCE4711 BCE2381 BCE343 BCE1696

Detailed timeline

  1. 1987VEI ?Geological estimate
    1987-07-23 – Ongoing
  2. 1972VEI ?Geological estimate
    1972-09-29 – 1972-09-29
  3. 1970VEI 3Observed
    1970-08-12 – Ongoing
    NE of Telefon Bay
  4. 1969VEI 3Observed
    1969-02-21 – 1969-03-16
    West side of Mount Pond
  5. 1967VEI 3Observed
    1967-12-04 – 1967-12-07
    North side (Telefon Bay, Yelcho I)
  6. 1912 (±5 yrs)VEI 3Observed
    1912 – Ongoing
    SW part of island
  7. 1871 (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1871 – Ongoing
    SE side of caldera bay (Kroner Lake)
  8. 1842VEI 2Observed
    1842-02 – Ongoing
    S caldera rim (flanks of Mt Kirkwood)
  9. 1839VEI ?Geological estimate
    1839 – Ongoing
    Crater Lake, Mt. Kirkwood area
  10. 1827 (±2 yrs)VEI ?Observed
    1827 – Ongoing
    NE side caldera bay (Pendulum Cove)
  11. 1800VEI ?Observed
    1800 – Ongoing
    N side caldera bay (near Telefon Bay)
  12. 1641 (±3 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1641 – Ongoing
  13. 1500VEI ?Geological estimate
    1500 – Ongoing
  14. 1200VEI ?Geological estimate
    1200 – Ongoing
  15. 900VEI ?Geological estimate
    900 – Ongoing
  16. 600VEI ?Geological estimate
    600 – Ongoing
  17. 100VEI ?Geological estimate
    100 – Ongoing
  18. 100 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 100 – Ongoing
  19. 250 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 250 – Ongoing
  20. 550 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 550 – Ongoing
  21. 700 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 700 – Ongoing
  22. 750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 750 – Ongoing
  23. 800 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 800 – Ongoing
  24. 1550 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 1550 – Ongoing
  25. 2750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 2750 – Ongoing
  26. 3250 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 3250 – Ongoing
  27. 6750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    BCE 6750 – Ongoing

External links

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