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Antarctica · Caldera

Deception Island

Type
Caldera
Elevation
602m
Last eruption
1970
Deception Island
Photo: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery · Attribution · Wikimedia Commons
Type
Caldera
Country
Antarctica
Region
Antarctic & Scotia / 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

27 recordedGlossary
Summary (VEI over time)
Click a bar to see individual eruptions · Use arrow keys to move between bars, Enter to open
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 ?Method not stated
    1987-07-23 – end unknown
  2. 1972VEI ?Method not stated
    1972-09-29 – 1972-09-29
  3. 1970VEI 3Observed
    1970-08-12 – end unknown
    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
    1912-07-02 – end unknown
    SW part of island
  7. 1871 (±40 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1871-07-02 – end unknown
    SE side of caldera bay (Kroner Lake)
  8. 1842VEI 2Observed
    1842-02-16 – end unknown
    S caldera rim (flanks of Mt Kirkwood)
  9. 1839VEI ?Method not stated
    1839-07-02 – end unknown
    Crater Lake, Mt. Kirkwood area
  10. 1827 (±2 yrs)VEI ?Observed
    1827-07-02 – end unknown
    NE side caldera bay (Pendulum Cove)
  11. 1800VEI ?Observed
    1800-07-02 – end unknown
    N side caldera bay (near Telefon Bay)
  12. 1641 (±3 yrs)VEI ?Geological estimate
    1641 – end unknown
  13. 1500VEI ?Geological estimate
    1500 – end unknown
  14. 1200VEI ?Geological estimate
    1200 – end unknown
  15. 900VEI ?Geological estimate
    900 – end unknown
  16. 600VEI ?Geological estimate
    600 – end unknown
  17. 100VEI ?Geological estimate
    100 – end unknown
  18. 100 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    100 BCE – end unknown
  19. 250 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    250 BCE – end unknown
  20. 550 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    550 BCE – end unknown
  21. 700 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    700 BCE – end unknown
  22. 750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    750 BCE – end unknown
  23. 800 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    800 BCE – end unknown
  24. 1550 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    1550 BCE – end unknown
  25. 2750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    2750 BCE – end unknown
  26. 3250 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    3250 BCE – end unknown
  27. 6750 BCEVEI ?Geological estimate
    6750 BCE – end unknown

Nearby volcanoes

External links

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