Volcano in Antarctica
Protector Seamounts volcano: eruption status today
Updated
No eruption of Protector Seamounts is being reported right now Last eruption: 1900–1963 (NOAA NCEI).
Live status of Protector Seamounts: whether it is erupting now, satellite hot spots, earthquakes around it, and what an eruption would mean for nearby cities and flights.
- Status now
- No open report
- Last eruption
- 1900–1963
- Elevation
- -55 m -180 ft
- Type
- Submarine volcano
- Earthquakes within 50 km
- 3 past 30 days (USGS)
- Hot spots within 10 km
- 0 latest NASA FIRMS VIIRS data
- Nearest city
- Ushuaia 2505 km WSW
Is Protector Seamounts erupting right now?
There is no open NASA EONET event for Protector Seamounts right now. NOAA NCEI dates its most recent eruption to 1900–1963. Volcano observatories can raise alert levels before an eruption starts, so check the national observatory for the current alert level.
No satellite thermal hot spot was detected within 10 km of the summit in the latest NASA FIRMS data, so there is no sign of lava at the surface large enough for VIIRS to see (clouds can hide it).
Earthquakes near Protector Seamounts
USGS located 3 earthquakes within 50 km of Protector Seamounts in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last week. The largest was M4.8 on Sep 28, 2026, 18 km ESE of the summit at 93 km depth.
0 of them were shallower than 10 km. Swarms of shallow quakes can mean magma or gas is moving, but most swarms end without an eruption; observatories combine them with ground deformation and gas data.
| Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 00:01 UTC | M4.5 | 36 km ESE | 110 km | South Sandwich Islands region |
| Oct 8, 05:42 UTC | M4.4 | 47 km NNE | 38 km | South Sandwich Islands region |
| Sep 28, 15:02 UTC | M4.8 | 18 km ESE | 93 km | South Sandwich Islands region |
About Protector Seamounts
Protector Seamounts is a submarine volcano in Antarctica, rising to -55 m (-180 ft). NOAA NCEI classes its eruptive history as "Historical".
Submarine volcanoes erupt under the sea; shallow ones can produce steam explosions, pumice rafts and discoloured water.
The volcano is remote: the nearest city in our list is Ushuaia, 2505 km away.
Flights and volcanic ash
No major hub airport is within 400 km (the closest is Buenos Aires Ezeiza, 3286 km away), but ash clouds from explosive eruptions can drift for thousands of kilometres along flight routes.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs) issue the official ash advisories that airlines and air traffic control follow.
Other volcanoes in Antarctica
Antarctica has 10 volcanoes on this site that erupted since 1900 or are active now. The closest other one is Candlemas Island, 159 km away.
Nearby volcanoes
Volcanoes in Antarctica
More
Data: NOAA NCEI Volcano Locations, NASA EONET (open volcano events), USGS earthquakes, NASA FIRMS (VIIRS hot spots), Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program.