Volcanoes by country

France

Volcanoes in France

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 20 volcanoes in France. This page brings together the map, report status, eruption history and the surroundings of every single volcano. None of them currently has a running eruption report.

Earthquakes · France
With a current report
None No current eruption report
Volcanoes in the catalogue
20
Documented eruptions
69
Highest volcano
2,632 mFournaise, Piton de la
Last documented eruption
2026Fournaise, Piton de la

Map

Volcano map of France

Every volcano in the country with plate boundaries, air traffic within 50 km, airports and nuclear power plants. Earthquakes can be added on top.

Map layers

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Markers show the catalogue position of a volcano, not the extent of a hazard zone. Plate boundaries after Bird (2003), PB2002.

All volcanoes in France

Sorted by report status and elevation. Every entry opens the full volcano profile.

Volcano catalogue
  1. Fournaise, Piton de la No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    2,632 m
    Last eruption
    2026
    Eruptions
    8
  2. Kerguelen Islands No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,840 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
  3. Soufriere Guadeloupe No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,467 m
    Last eruption
    1977
    Eruptions
    8
  4. Chaine des Puys No current eruption report
    Type
    Lava dome
    Elevation
    1,464 m
    Last eruption
    4040 BCE
    Eruptions
    8
  5. Pelee No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,372 m
    Last eruption
    1932
    Eruptions
    8
  6. Est, Ile de l' No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,090 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
  7. Possession, Ile de la No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    934 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
  8. Amsterdam Island No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    881 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
  9. Cochons, Ile aux No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    775 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
  10. Mayotte No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    660 m
    Last eruption
    2050 BCE
    Eruptions
    3
  11. Mehetia No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    389 m
    Last eruption
    Not available
    Eruptions
    1
  12. Hunter Island No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    297 m
    Last eruption
    1903
    Eruptions
    6
  13. St. Paul No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    268 m
    Last eruption
    1793
    Eruptions
    1
  14. Matthew Island No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    177 m
    Last eruption
    1956
    Eruptions
    7
  15. Macdonald No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    -39 m
    Last eruption
    1989
    Eruptions
    8
  16. Moua Pihaa No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    -312 m
    Last eruption
    1970
    Eruptions
    2
  17. Boomerang Seamount No current eruption report
    Type
    Caldera
    Elevation
    -650 m
    Last eruption
    1995
    Eruptions
    1
  18. Teahitia No current eruption report
    Type
    Compound volcano
    Elevation
    -1,743 m
    Last eruption
    1985
    Eruptions
    4
  19. Fani Maore No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic cone
    Elevation
    -2,500 m
    Last eruption
    2019
    Eruptions
    1
  20. Rocard No current eruption report
    Type
    Volcanic cone
    Elevation
    -2,515 m
    Last eruption
    1972
    Eruptions
    3

“Last eruption” is a catalogue record, not evidence of activity in progress.

Significant volcanic eruptions in France

Eruptions with fatalities, damage or high explosivity from the NOAA NCEI database of significant volcanic eruptions.

  1. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 28,000 Deaths Tsunami
  2. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 1,500 Deaths Tsunami
  3. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 23 Deaths Tsunami
  4. 1972 Fournaise, Piton de la VEI 2 3 Deaths
  5. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 Damage: limited (below 1 million USD) 20 houses destroyed Tsunami
  6. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 Tsunami
  7. 1902 Pelee VEI 4 Tsunami
  8. 1843 Soufriere Guadeloupe Tsunami

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 47

VEI 0
30
VEI 1
6
VEI 2
8
VEI 3
1
VEI 4
2
VEI 5
0
VEI 6
0

The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) runs from 0 (effusive) to 8 (super-eruptive). Each step stands for roughly ten times the erupted mass.

Eruptions per century

1600–1699
3
1700–1799
4
1800–1899
8
1900–1999
31
2000–2099
9

Documented eruptions since 1500. Earlier centuries are recorded less completely, so a rise also reflects better observation.

Earthquakes near volcanoes – France

84 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in France.

Earthquakes · France

Spatial proximity does not establish a volcanic origin. Many events in volcanic regions are tectonic.

Tectonic setting and volcano types

What the volcanic landscape of France is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Intraplate / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)9
  • Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)6
  • Subduction zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)2

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano12
  • Shield volcano3
  • Volcanic cone2
  • Lava dome1
  • Caldera1

Infrastructure within 100 km

Airports with scheduled service and nuclear power plant sites near a volcano in France.

Airports 15

  • Basse-Terre Baillif Airport9.1 km · BBR
  • Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport12.3 km · DZA
  • Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport14.6 km · CFE
  • Maryse Condé International Airport28.3 km · PTP
  • Martinique Aimé Césaire International Airport29.9 km · FDF
  • Saint-Pierre Pierrefonds Airport30.7 km · ZSE
  • Roland Garros Airport44.0 km · RUN
  • Marie-Galante Airport46.4 km · GBJ
  • St-François Airport49.0 km · SFC
  • Canefield Airport63.5 km · DCF
  • Douglas-Charles Airport67.6 km · DOM
  • La Désirade Airport68.0 km · DSD

Nuclear power plants 0

No site from the included datasets lies within this radius.

This selection shows geographic proximity, not a hazard zone or confirmed impacts.

Volcanoes in profile – France

Short descriptions of the country's best-known volcanoes.

Fournaise, Piton de la

Shield volcano · 2,632 m · Last eruption: 2026

Piton de la Fournaise is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island, a French overseas department and region, in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands, Stromboli and Etna in Italy and Mount Erebus in Antarctica. The volcano is located within Réunion National Park, a World Heritage Site.

Kerguelen Islands

Stratovolcano · 1,840 m · Last eruption: Not available

The Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the subantarctic region. They are among the most isolated places on Earth, with the closest territory being the Heard Island and McDonald Islands territory of Australia located at roughly 450 kilometres to the southeast, and the nearest permanently inhabited territory being Madagascar at more than 3,300 km (1,800 nmi) in distance. The islands, along with Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint Paul islands, and France's Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, are part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and are administered as a separate district.

Soufriere Guadeloupe

Stratovolcano · 1,467 m · Last eruption: 1977

La Grande Soufrière, or simply Soufrière, is an active stratovolcano on the French island of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. It is the highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles, rising 1,467 m (4,813 ft) high.

Chaine des Puys

Lava dome · 1,464 m · Last eruption: 4040 BCE

The Puy de Lassolas is a volcano in the Chaîne des Puys in France, peaking at 1187 metres. It forms, with the Puy de la Vache, a group of volcanic craters. Together, they thus form two half craters. Their lava flows created several lakes by crossing valleys, including Lake Cassière to the north and Lake Aydat to the south in the Veyre valley.

Pelee

Stratovolcano · 1,372 m · Last eruption: 1932

Mount Pelée or Mont Pelée is an active stratovolcano at the northern end of Martinique, an island and French overseas department in the Lesser Antilles Volcanic Arc of the Caribbean. Its volcanic cone is composed of stratified layers of hardened ash and solidified lava. Its most recent eruption was in 1932.

Est, Ile de l'

Stratovolcano · 1,090 m · Last eruption: Not available

Mont Marion-Dufresne is the highest mountain in the Crozet Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Indian Ocean.

Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in France

How many volcanoes are there in France?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 20 volcanoes in France. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in France is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Fournaise, Piton de la at 2,632 m.
When was the last documented eruption in France?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 2026 (Fournaise, Piton de la).
Are the volcanoes in France active?
None of the 20 volcanoes currently has an eruption report. That does not mean they are extinct – source coverage differs from volcano to volcano.
Why does the map show aircraft around volcanoes?
Volcanic ash endangers aircraft engines. The map therefore shows live positions within 50 km of a volcano so that the proximity of air traffic to an active volcano becomes visible.
Where does the data on this page come from?
Catalogue data and eruption history from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, significant eruptions from NOAA NCEI, alert levels and bulletins from USGS, GeoNet and INGV, earthquakes from the QuakeMap24 database, flight positions from ADSB.lol.

Volcanoes in other countries

Countries with at least 5 volcanoes in the catalogue.

All countries with volcanoes

Sources and data dates

Everything shown comes from the public sources listed below and is updated automatically.

QuakeMap24 is not a warning authority. Follow the responsible authorities when making local decisions.