Volcanoes by country

Portugal

Volcanoes in Portugal

Map, activity and eruption history

The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 13 volcanoes in Portugal. 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 · Portugal
With a current report
None No current eruption report
Volcanoes in the catalogue
13
Documented eruptions
61
Highest volcano
2,351 mPico
Last documented eruption
2000Terceira

Map

Volcano map of Portugal

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 Portugal

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

Volcano catalogue
  1. Pico No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    2,351 m
    Last eruption
    1720
    Eruptions
    4
  2. Madeira No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    1,862 m
    Last eruption
    4500 BCE
    Eruptions
    1
  3. Sao Jorge No current eruption report
    Type
    Fissure vent
    Elevation
    1,053 m
    Last eruption
    1902
    Eruptions
    8
  4. Fayal No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,041 m
    Last eruption
    1958
    Eruptions
    2
  5. Terceira No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    1,023 m
    Last eruption
    2000
    Eruptions
    8
  6. Agua de Pau No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    947 m
    Last eruption
    1564
    Eruptions
    8
  7. Flores No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    914 m
    Last eruption
    950 BCE
    Eruptions
    2
  8. Sete Cidades No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    842 m
    Last eruption
    1880
    Eruptions
    8
  9. Furnas No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    805 m
    Last eruption
    1630
    Eruptions
    8
  10. Graciosa No current eruption report
    Type
    Stratovolcano
    Elevation
    402 m
    Last eruption
    1950 BCE
    Eruptions
    1
  11. Picos Fissural Volcanic System No current eruption report
    Type
    Fissure vent
    Elevation
    350 m
    Last eruption
    1652
    Eruptions
    7
  12. Don Joao de Castro Bank No current eruption report
    Type
    Shield volcano
    Elevation
    -13 m
    Last eruption
    1720
    Eruptions
    2
  13. Monaco Bank No current eruption report
    Type
    Fissure vent
    Elevation
    -197 m
    Last eruption
    1911
    Eruptions
    2

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

Significant volcanic eruptions in Portugal

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

  1. 1757 Sao Jorge VEI 0 1,053 Deaths Damage: severe (roughly 5–24 million USD)
  2. 1630 Furnas VEI 4 200 Deaths
  3. 1580 Sao Jorge VEI 3 10 Deaths
  4. 1808 Sao Jorge VEI 1 9 Deaths
  5. 1672 Fayal VEI 2 3 Deaths
  6. 1718 Pico VEI 2 2 Deaths

Explosivity of the documented eruptions

VEI · 37

VEI 0
7
VEI 1
2
VEI 2
13
VEI 3
6
VEI 4
5
VEI 5
4
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

1500–1599
4
1600–1699
5
1700–1799
5
1800–1899
7
1900–1999
8

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

Earthquakes near volcanoes – Portugal

9 events in the last 30 days within 50 km of a volcano in Portugal.

Earthquakes · Portugal

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 Portugal is made of and which tectonic setting it sits in.

Tectonic setting

  • Rift zone / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)11
  • Intraplate / Oceanic crust (< 15 km)1
  • Intraplate / Continental crust (> 25 km)1

Most common volcano types

  • Stratovolcano8
  • Fissure vent3
  • Shield volcano2

Infrastructure within 100 km

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

Airports 11

  • João Paulo II Airport5.0 km · PDL
  • Horta Airport6.2 km · HOR
  • Flores Airport7.3 km · FLW
  • São Jorge Airport8.5 km · SJZ
  • Graciosa Airport9.5 km · GRW
  • Pico Airport10.0 km · PIX
  • Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport18.6 km · FNC
  • Lajes Airport20.2 km · TER
  • Corvo Airport24.9 km · CVU
  • Porto Santo Airport69.3 km · PXO
  • Santa Maria Airport89.8 km · SMA

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 – Portugal

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

Pico

Stratovolcano · 2,351 m · Last eruption: 1720

Mount Pico is a currently dormant stratovolcano located on Pico Island, in the mid-Atlantic archipelago of the Azores. It is the highest mountain in Portugal, at 2,351 metres (7,713 ft) above sea level, and is one of the highest Atlantic mountains; it is more than twice the elevation of any other peak in the Azores. It has been a designated nature reserve since 1972.

Madeira

Shield volcano · 1,862 m · Last eruption: 4500 BCE

Madeira is a Portuguese island, and is the largest and most populous of the Madeira Archipelago. It has an area of 740.7 km2 (286 sq mi), including Ilhéu de Agostinho, Ilhéu de São Lourenço, Ilhéu Mole (northwest). As of 2021, Madeira had a total population of 245,595.

Sao Jorge

Fissure vent · 1,053 m · Last eruption: 1902

São Jorge is an island in the central group of the Azores archipelago and part of the autonomous region of Portugal. Separated from its nearest neighbours by the 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) Pico-São Jorge Channel, the central group is often referred colloquially as part of the Triângulo ("Triangle") group or just "The Triangle". São Jorge is a relatively long thin island with tall cliffs, whose 8,381 inhabitants are concentrated on various geological debris fields (fajãs) along the north and south coasts; from east to west, the island is 53 kilometres (33 mi) long and, north to south, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide: its area is 237.59 square kilometres (91.73 mi2).

Fayal

Stratovolcano · 1,041 m · Last eruption: 1958

Faial Island, also known as Fayal Island, is a Portuguese island contained within the Central Group or Grupo Central of the Azores, in the Atlantic Ocean.

Terceira

Stratovolcano · 1,023 m · Last eruption: 2000

Terceira is a volcanic island in the Azores archipelago of Portugal, 1,181 km (734 mi) due west of Lisbon. It is one of the larger islands of the archipelago, with a population of 53,311 inhabitants in an area of approximately 396.75 km2 (153.19 sq mi).

Agua de Pau

Stratovolcano · 947 m · Last eruption: 1564

Água de Pau Massif is a stratovolcanic complex, located in the central part of the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. More recognizable for the Lagoa do Fogo at its centre, the volcanic complex includes centuries of geomorphological structures that include lava domes, cones and encrusted lava flows that have marked its history from, the last, 45,000 years BC.

Short descriptions: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions about volcanoes in Portugal

How many volcanoes are there in Portugal?
The Holocene catalogue of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 13 volcanoes in Portugal. It covers volcanoes with eruptions during the last roughly 12,000 years.
Which volcano in Portugal is the highest?
The highest recorded volcano is Pico at 2,351 m.
When was the last documented eruption in Portugal?
The most recent eruption documented in the catalogue dates from 2000 (Terceira).
Are the volcanoes in Portugal active?
None of the 13 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.