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Peter I Island Volcano | John Seach
Antarctica
68.85 S, 90.58 W
summit elevation 1640 m
Shield volcano
Peter I Island lies off the coast of Ellsworth Land, in the Bellinghausen Sea approximately 400 km northeast of Eights Coast, West-Antarctica. The Island is 19 km x 13 km, covers 154 sq km, and the volcano has a 100 m wide summit crater. At least 95% of the island is covered by permanent
ice and snow. A flat summit area indicates the presence of a summit crater.
It is the exposed part of a huge volcanic structure rising from about 4,000 m
below sea level between the South Pacific ocean floor and the upper continental rise of the Antarctic continent. Peter I is classified as an oceanic island.
The island was discovered and named by the Russian uon Bellinghausen expedition in 1821. The Norwegian Aurora expedition visited Peter I from 23 January to 2 February 1987 under very good weather and ice conditions.
The volume of volcanic cone above the seafloor can be estimated at 2,900 cubic km. Volcanic activity of the Peter I coincides more or less completely with rift-related volcanism in Marie Byrd Land and Eights Coast. Eruptions on the island may have occurred in the past 10,000 years which indicates the volcano is still active.
Further reading
Prestvik, Tore, et al. "Petrology of Peter I Øy (Peter I Island), West Antarctica." Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 44.3-4 (1990): 315-338.
Peter I Island Volcano Eruptions
No recent eruptions.