Mount Erebus
Southernmost active volcano with a persistent lava lake.
Mount Erebus is the southernmost active volcano on Earth, located on Ross Island in the Ross Dependency, Antarctica. With a summit elevation of 3,794 meters, it is the second most prominent mountain in Antarctica and the second-highest volcano on the continent. It is the highest point on Ross Island and the current eruptive center of the Erebus hotspot, notable for its persistent convecting phonolitic lava lake, one of only five long-lasting lava lakes on Earth.
- elevation
- 3,794 m (12,448 ft)
Quick Facts
- Elevation M
- 3792
- Elevation Ref
- Mount Erebus GVP
- Prominence M
- 3765
- Prominence Ref
- Ranked 34th
- Listing
- Ultra, Ribu
- Location
- Ross Island, Antarctica / (claimed by New Zealand as part of the Ross Dependency)
- Map Alt
- Map of Antarctica showing location of Mount Erebus
- Topo
- Ross Island
- Volcanic Belt
- McMurdo Volcanic Group
- Age
- 1.3 million years
- Last Eruption
- 2020
- First Ascent
- March 10, 1908 by Edgeworth David and party. Nimrod Expedition
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Mount Erebus was discovered on 27 January 1841 by polar explorer Sir James Clark Ross, who named it after his ship HMS Erebus. The volcano has been active for around 1.3 million years and features a long-lived lava lake in its inner summit crater, present since at least the early 1970s. Its summit caldera was created by an explosive VEI-6 eruption approximately 18,000 ± 7,000 years ago. The volcano is scientifically remarkable for its low-level, persistent eruptive activity, allowing long-term study of a Strombolian system from close range.
The mountain is also known for its numerous ice fumaroles—ice towers that form around escaping gases—and associated ice caves. These caves are of astrobiological interest due to their dark, oligotrophic conditions, hosting chemolithoautotrophic microbes such as Chloroflexota and Acidobacteriota. In 1979, Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed on Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board.
Reader's Guide
Mount Erebus holds significant scientific and historical importance. As the world's southernmost active volcano and the only presently erupting phonolite volcano, it provides a unique natural laboratory for volcanology. Its persistent lava lake and Strombolian eruptions allow researchers to study magma dynamics and volcanic plumbing at close range, aided by proximity to McMurdo Station and Scott Base. The volcano's ice fumaroles and caves offer insights into extremophile life and astrobiology, as organisms there survive through chemolithoautotrophy in a dark, low-nutrient environment. Historically, Mount Erebus was first climbed in 1908 by members of Ernest Shackleton's party, and its summit was surveyed during Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition. The mountain also marks a tragic aviation disaster in 1979. Its ongoing activity and unique geological features continue to attract scientific study, including dense seismic arrays and research into gold particles emitted from the volcano.
Did You Know?
- Mount Erebus emits about 80 grams of gold vapor daily, with microscopic gold particles found up to 1,000 km away.
- The volcano's summit caldera was formed by a VEI-6 eruption about 18,000 ± 7,000 years ago.
- Ice fumarole caves on Mount Erebus can reach temperatures of 25°C and contain up to 3% carbon dioxide.
- The mountain was named after HMS Erebus, a ship later lost on Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Mount Erebus?
Mount Erebus is a stratovolcano sitting on Ross Island in Antarctica's Ross Dependency. At 3,794 meters, it holds the distinction of being the southernmost active volcano anywhere on Earth.
What makes Mount Erebus special among volcanoes?
Its caldera contains a continuously convecting phonolitic lava lake, one of just five such long-lived lava lakes known on the planet. This feature makes it the world's southernmost volcano with a persistent lava lake.
How tall is Mount Erebus?
The peak reaches 3,794 meters (about 12,448 feet), making it both the highest point on Ross Island and the second most prominent mountain in all of Antarctica.
Is Mount Erebus still active today?
Yes — it currently serves as the eruptive center of the Erebus hotspot, and its summit lava lake remains in a state of ongoing convection. It is classified as an active volcano.
Why do volcanologists care about Mount Erebus?
The ever-present lava lake offers a rare chance to observe a long-lived magma system in one of the harshest climates on Earth. It also anchors the Erebus hotspot, a key piece in understanding volcanic processes across the Antarctic continent.
More in Volcanic Mountains 1-19
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