How often does a volcanic eruption occur?

West Seneca West Senior

Hi West Seneca West Senior,

There are volcanic eruptions going on pretty much all the time. There are numerous volcanoes where activity is continuous. At Kilauea, for example, there has been an eruption that has lasted since 1983. At present lava is passively flowing out of a vent and through lava tubes into the ocean. At other volcanoes such as Merapi in Indonesia, there are lava domes that continuously grow, occasionally sloughing off large portions as block-and-ash flows. Still other volcanoes such as Erta Ale in Ethiopia have continuously-active lava lakes. In any given month, in addition to these constantly-active examples there are probably 20-30 eruptions from other volcanoes where the activity is less constant.

Sincerely,

Scott Rowland

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