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The Significant Volcanic Eruption Database is a global listing of over 500 significant eruptions which includes information on the latitude, longitude, elevation, type of volcano, and last known eruption. A significant eruption is classified as one that meets at least one of the following criteria: caused fatalities, caused moderate damage (approximately $1 million or more), with a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or larger, caused a tsunami, or was associated with a major earthquake. For a complete list of current and past activity for all volcanoes on the planet active during the last 10,000 years, please see Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program (GVP).

Hawaiian Volcano Erupting
  • To display a subset of the Volcano Database enter the information for one or more of the following search options and then click the Search Database button.
    • Click the Clear Form button for each additional search.
    • To retrieve the entire database, click the Clear Form button and the Search Database button at the bottom of this page.
    • The resulting file contains over 400 significant volcanic events.
    • NOTE: Do not use commas when entering numbers into the form.
  • To Import the resulting search into an MS Excel spreadsheet: Select Data Output Options - tab-delimited format (bottom of page)
  • The database can also be displayed and extracted with the Natural Hazards Interactive Map
  • Download entire significant volcanic eruptions data file in tab-delimited format.

Please cite this database as:
National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA. doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH

Volcano Parameters:

Enter Event Year (-1750 to present): Beginning: Ending:

Enter the Name of the Volcano: includes or starts with matches or does not match

or select from a list:

Enter the Location where the Volcano is located:
(For example enter: Alaska or Aleutian): includes or starts with matches or does not match

Select Country:

Select the Region:

Enter a range of Event Coordinates in decimal degrees:

Latitude: 0 to 90 (Northern Hemisphere) -90 to 0 (Southern Hemisphere)
Longitude: 0 to 180 (Eastern Hemisphere) -180 to 0 (Western Hemisphere)

Northernmost Latitude
(enter one number from -90 to 90):
Westernmost Longitude
(enter one number from -179 to 180):
 Easternmost Longitude
(enter one number from -179 to 180):
Southernmost Latitude
(enter one number from -90 to 90):

Volcano Type:

Enter the VEI of the volcanic eruption (0 to 8):go to VEI description page.

Minimum VEI: Maximum VEI:

Enter Number of Deaths: Minimum Maximum

Enter Death Description: go to death description page. Minimum Maximum

Enter Damage in Millions of Dollars (Minimum 0.04): Minimum Maximum

Enter Damage Description: go to damage description page. Minimum Maximum

Volcano Eruption Comments: includes or starts with matches or does not match

Tsunami was associated with the eruption:

Earthquake was associated with the eruption:

Data Display Options:

Return All Selected Events Sorted by Date

Sort by Volcano Name, Date

Return All Selected Events with Total effects displayed (Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcano) Sorted by Date

Data Output Options:

Return All Selected Events in tab-delimited format for import into Excel