Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (sometimes referred to as frozen lava lakes).
Lava lakes can form in three ways: [1]
Lava lakes occur in a variety of volcanic systems, ranging from the basaltic Erta Ale lake in Ethiopia and the basaltic andesite volcano of Villarrica, Chile, to the unique phonolitic lava lake at Mt. Erebus, Antarctica. Lava lakes have been observed to exhibit a range of behaviours. A "constantly circulating, apparently steady-state" lava lake was observed during the 1969–1971 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaiʻi. [2] By contrast, a lava lake at the 1983–1984 Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption of Kilauea displayed cyclic behaviour with a period of 5–20 minutes; gas "pierced the surface" of the lake, and the lava rapidly drained back down the conduit before the onset of a new phase of lake activity. [3] The behaviour observed is influenced by the combined effects of pressure within the reservoir, exsolution and decompression of gas bubbles within the conduit and, potentially, exsolution of bubbles within the magma reservoir. Superimposed upon this is the effect of bubbles rising through the liquid, and coalescence of bubbles within the conduit. The interactions of these effects can create either a steady-state recirculating lake, or a lake level that periodically rises and then falls. [4]
Persistent lava lakes are a rare phenomenon. Only a few volcanoes have hosted persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decades:
The lava lakes at Ambrym volcano disappeared after a large eruption in December 2018. [12]
For many years, Kīlauea had two persistent lava lakes: one in the Halemaʻumaʻu vent cavity within the summit caldera, and another within the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone located on the east rift zone of the volcano. [13] In May 2018, both of these lava lakes disappeared as a result of increased activity in Kīlauea's east rift zone. The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu returned in December 2020, after Kīlauea's first eruption in over two years. [14] The lava lake solidified after the eruption ended in May 2021, but returned again when eruptive activity at Halemaʻumaʻu resumed on September 29, 2021. Following the 2021 eruption, three more occurred on January 5, 2023; June 7, 2023; and September 10, 2023. As of January 2024, Halemaʻumaʻu is not erupting and the lava lake is no longer active.
Nyiragongo's lava lake has usually been the largest and most voluminous in recent history, reaching 700 meters wide in 1982, [15] although Masaya is believed to have hosted an even larger lava lake at the time of the Spanish conquest, being 1,000 meters wide in 1670. [16] The lava lake at Masaya came back in January 2016. [17]
In addition to the aforementioned persistent lava lakes, a certain number of occurrences of temporary lava lakes (sometimes called lava ponds or lava pools, depending on their size and nature [18] ) have also been observed and are listed in the following table.
 |
| Volcano | Location |
|---|---|
| Persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decades | |
| Erta Ale [6] | Ethiopia |
| Mount Erebus [5] | Ross Island, Antarctica |
| Kīlauea [7] Halemaʻumaʻu | Hawaiʻi (Big Island) |
| Nyiragongo [10] (the largest one in the past century) | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Ambrym [19] (two lava lakes in both Benbow and Marum craters since around 1991; [20] following an earthquake in December 2018 both lakes are buried under collapsed craters) | Ambrym Island, Vanuatu |
| Mount Michael | Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands |
| Recent intermittent lava lake activity | |
| Masaya [17] [21] | Nicaragua |
| Mount Yasur | Tanna Island, Vanuatu |
| Villarrica [22] | Chile |
| Karthala [23] | Grande Comore, Comoros |
| Piton de la Fournaise [24] [25] (small temporary lava pond in Dolomieu crater) | Réunion Island |
| Ol Doinyo Lengai [26] [27] (only active volcano in the world emitting carbonatite lava) | Tanzania |
| Turrialba [28] (small lake) | Costa Rica |
| Unconfirmed lava lake activity | |
| Telica [29] (possibly in 1971 and 1999–2000) | Nicaragua |
| Tungurahua [30] (possibly in 1999) | Ecuador |
| Tofua [31] (possibly in 2004 and 2006) | Tofua Island, Tonga |
| Nabro [32] (possibly in 2012) | Eritrea |
| Lava lake activity suggested by satellite remote-sensing data | |
| Mount Michael [33] | Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands |
| Mount Belinda [34] | Montagu Island, South Sandwich Islands |
| Mawson Peak [35] | Heard Island |
| Past lava lake activity | |
| Kīlauea [7] Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater (1983-2018, collapsed during the 2018 Puna eruption) | Hawaiʻi (Big Island) |
| Mount Matavanu [36] [37] (during the 1905–1911 eruption) | Savai'i Island, Samoa |
| Nyamuragira [37] [38] (lava lake located within the summit caldera, confirmed for the first time in 1921, drained in 1938, and temporary lava pond in the Kituro cone on the SW flank, during the 1948 eruption) | Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Capelinhos [39] [40] (in 1958, a Surtseyan eruption) | Faial Island, Azores |
| Surtsey [41] [42] [43] (in 1964, during the 1963–1967 eruption which led to the formation of the island) | Iceland |
| Tolbachik, [37] [44] part of the Klyuchevskaya volcanic complex (last observation of lava lake activity in 1964) | Kamchatka, Russia |
| Etna [45] (in 1974) | Sicily, Italy |
| Ardoukôba [46] (in 1978) | Djibouti |
| Mount Mihara [47] (in 1986) | Izu Ōshima, Japan |
| Stromboli [48] (in 1986 and 1989) | Aeolian Islands, Italy |
| La Cumbre [49] (in 1995) | Fernandina Island, Galápagos |
| Pacaya [50] (in 2000 and 2001) | Guatemala |
| Mount Edziza [51] (0.9 million years ago) | British Columbia, Canada |
| Lava lake activity on other planetary bodies | |
| Loki Patera [52] | Io |
| Janus Patera [53] | Io |
| Pele [53] | Io |
Kīlauea is an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It is located along the southeastern shore of Hawaii Island. The volcano is between 210,000 and 280,000 years old and grew above sea level about 100,000 years ago. Since the islands were settled, it has been the most active of the five volcanoes that together form the island and among the most active volcanoes on Earth. The most recent eruption occurred in September 2024.
Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 m (11,385 ft) in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda. The main crater is about two kilometres (1 mi) wide and usually contains a lava lake. The crater presently has two distinct cooled lava benches within the crater walls – one at about 3,175 m (10,417 ft) and a lower one at about 2,975 m (9,760 ft).
Nyamuragira, also known as Nyamulagira, is an active shield volcano in the Virunga Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lake Kivu. The name is derived from the Kinyarwanda Bantu verb Kuragira nyamu, meaning to herd animals; nyamu means animal or cows.
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is a national park of the United States located in Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. The park encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's largest shield volcano. The park provides scientists with insight into the development of the Hawaiian Islands and access for studies of volcanism. For visitors, the park offers dramatic volcanic landscapes, glimpses of rare flora and fauna, and a view into the traditional Hawaiian culture connected to these landscapes.
Ambrym is a volcanic island in Malampa Province in the archipelago of Vanuatu. Volcanic activity on the island includes lava lakes in two craters near the summit.
Masaya is a caldera located in Masaya, Nicaragua, 20 km (12 mi) south of the capital Managua. It is Nicaragua's first and largest national park, and one of 78 protected areas of Nicaragua. The complex volcano is composed of a nested set of calderas and craters, the largest of which is Las Sierras shield volcano and caldera. Within this caldera lies a sub-vent, which is Masaya Volcano sensu stricto. The vent is a shield type composed of basaltic lavas and tephras and includes a summit crater. This hosts Masaya caldera, formed 2,500 years ago by an 8 km3 (1.9 cu mi) basaltic ignimbrite eruption. Inside this caldera a new basaltic complex has grown from eruptions mainly on a semi-circular set of vents that include the Masaya and Nindiri cones. The latter host the pit craters of Masaya, Santiago, Nindiri and San Pedro. Observations in the walls of the pit craters indicate that there have been several episodes of cone and pit crater formation.
An active volcano is a volcano that has erupted during the Holocene, is currently erupting, or has the potential to erupt in the future. A volcano that is not currently erupting but could erupt in the future is known as a dormant volcano. Volcanoes that will not erupt again are known as extinct volcanoes.
The Decade Volcanoes are 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to densely populated areas. The Decade Volcanoes project encourages studies and public-awareness activities at these volcanoes, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the volcanoes and the dangers they present, and thus being able to reduce the severity of natural disasters.
The Semeru, or Mount Semeru is an active volcano located in East Java, Indonesia. It is located in a subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian plate subducts under the Eurasia plate. It is the highest mountain on the island of Java. The name "Semeru" is derived from Meru, the central world mountain in Hinduism, or Sumeru, the abode of gods. This stratovolcano is Mahameru, meaning "The Great Mountain" in Sanskrit. It is one of the more popular hiking destinations in Indonesia.
Calbuco is a stratovolcano in southern Chile, located southeast of Llanquihue Lake and northwest of Chapo Lake, in the Los Lagos Region, and close to the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt. With an elevation of 2,015 meters above sea level, the volcano and the surrounding area are protected within the Llanquihue National Reserve.
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In volcanology, a pyroclastic shield or ignimbrite shield is an uncommon type of shield volcano. Unlike most shield volcanoes, pyroclastic shields are formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions rather than relatively fluid basaltic lava issuing from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano. They typically display low-angle flank slopes and often have a central caldera caused by large eruptions. Lava is commonly extruded after explosive activity has ended. The paucity of associated Plinian fall deposits indicates that pyroclastic shields are characterized by low Plinian columns.
Halemaʻumaʻu is a pit crater within the much larger Kīlauea Caldera at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on island of Hawaiʻi. The roughly circular crater was 770 meters (2,530 ft) x 900 m (2,950 ft) before collapses that roughly doubled the size of the crater after May 3, 2018. Following the collapses of 2018, the bottom of Halemaʻumaʻu was roughly 600 m (2,000 ft) below the caldera floor. Halemaʻumaʻu is home to Pele, goddess of fire and volcanoes, according to the traditions of Hawaiian religion. Halemaʻumaʻu means "house of the ʻāmaʻu fern".
Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or underwater, usually at temperatures from 800 to 1,200 °C. The volcanic rock resulting from subsequent cooling is also often called lava.
The Kīlauea Caldera, officially gazetted as Kīlauea Crater, is a caldera located at the summit of Kīlauea, an active shield volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It has an extreme length of 2.93 mi (4.72 km), an extreme width of 1.95 mi (3.14 km), a circumference of 7.85 mi (12.63 km) and an area of 4.14 sq mi (10.7 km2). It contains Halemaʻumaʻu, an active pit crater near the caldera's southwestern edge.
Kamoamoa is a set of volcanic fissures born on March 5, 2011, on the flanks of Kīlauea, Hawaii, US. Their opening between Puʻu ʻŌʻō to the east and Nāpau to the west follows a sudden drop in the level of lava lakes in the Puʻu ʻŌʻō and Halemaʻumaʻu craters, as well as an increase in nearby seismic activity, particularly tremors. Lava erupted for five days, forming a flow that advanced by around two kilometers. Following the eruption, a fire broke out in the forest.
This article incorporates public domain material from "Lava lake". Volcano Hazards Program Photo Glossary. United States Geological Survey.
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