Volcano
Eruptions and alert levels
Earth, live. What's erupting?
What's erupting right now? Volcano follows the restless mountains of the world, with the latest activity reports, official alert levels and the story of each volcano.
- ~1,350
- potentially active volcanoes on land
- 40–50
- volcanoes erupting at any one time, typically
- 0–8
- the explosivity index every eruption is rated on
- 4
- aviation colour codes, green to red
- Erupting nowVolcanoes with eruptions under way, and those showing new unrest.
- Alert levelsOfficial aviation colour codes and ground alert levels, where observatories publish them.
- Activity reportsThe weekly volcanic activity report, short and in plain words.
- Every volcanoType, height, last known eruption and eruption history for each one.
- MapThe world's active volcanoes on one map, with the restless ones lit up.
- AlertsA notification when a volcano you follow changes its alert level.
Data: Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, USGS Volcano Hazards Program, NASA EONET
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About the app
What Volcano does
Volcano is a guide to the world's active volcanoes. It shows which ones are erupting, which are restless, and what the observatories watching them are saying, using the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the US Geological Survey and NASA's Earth Observatory event feed.
Every volcano has its own page: what kind of volcano it is, how high it stands, when it last erupted and how big its eruptions have been on the Volcanic Explosivity Index.
Alert levels, explained
Many observatories rate each volcano twice: a ground alert level (normal, advisory, watch, warning) and an aviation colour code (green, yellow, orange, red) for the risk of ash to aircraft. Volcano shows both where they are published, with what each step means.
How big are eruptions?
The Volcanic Explosivity Index runs from 0 to 8. Each step is roughly ten times more material thrown out. Most eruptions are VEI 0 to 2; the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo was a VEI 6.
Not a warning service
Volcano shows public information from observatories and research programmes. It does not replace official warnings. Near an active volcano, follow your local authorities.
Where the data comes from
- Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program: Volcano database and the weekly volcanic activity report
- USGS Volcano Hazards Program: Alert levels and aviation colour codes for US volcanoes
- NASA EONET: Open volcanic events worldwide
Every event shows its source and how old it is. If a feed can't be reached, the app keeps showing the last good copy, marked as out of date. There is no account or tracking. Privacy policy.
Good to know
Volcano questions
How many volcanoes are erupting right now?
Typically 40 to 50 volcanoes have continuing eruptions at any one time, though only a few are making news. Volcano lists them with the latest report for each.
What do the aviation colour codes mean?
Green is normal; yellow means signs of unrest; orange means unrest with a higher chance of eruption, or a minor eruption; red means an eruption is under way or imminent with significant ash.
Is Volcano an official warning service?
No. It shows information published by observatories and research programmes. Always follow your local authorities near an active volcano.
Where does the data come from?
From the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, the USGS Volcano Hazards Program and NASA's EONET natural-event feed.
From the same maker
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News & updates
Earth, live. We'll tell you when.
An email when the apps arrive on Google Play, and the occasional update on what's new. No more than once a month.
Questions or ideas?
Found a bug, want a feature, or spotted something odd in the data? Send a message here, or email us.
hello@powerfulnature.app