Around the planet, there are approximately 1,300 volcanoes which are suspected to or
have erupted at some point in the last 11,650 years; aka since the end of the last ice age.
In mainland Europe, apart from Italy, Greece, and Turkey, there are very few volcanoes that
fall under this category.
However, active systems do exist in France, Spain, and Germany.
Despite the size of landmass another country in Europe has, oddly enough the United Kingdom
mainland has not been the site of a volcanic eruption in many tens of millions of years.
However, there is a British overseas territory that has a volcano which is erupting right
now, and I am not referring to a submarine volcano.
Few people are aware of this, but what I am referring to is the small volcanic island
of Saunders, which has an area of about 13.7 square miles or 35.4 square kilometers.
The Saunders volcano is located in the southern hemisphere far east of the Falkland Islands
and southeast of South Georgia.
Saunders is centered in the middle of 7 active volcanic island complexes, and is covered
in glaciers and dense snowpack.
Saunders, or as it is sometimes called, the Mount Michael volcano has been continuously
erupting since November 12th of 2014.
Its ongoing eruption has largely occurred from its main active crater, involving both
gentle lava effusion and occasionally small scale explosive strombolian activity which
ejects bombs of lava outside the crater walls.
Some of the ash it has produced is visible on snowpack and glaciers to the south of the
active crater.
Due to the nature of its primarily basaltic composition and gentle lava effusion, Saunders
contains a surprisingly rare volcanic feature; a persistent lava lake.
Although there are approximately 50 volcanoes which are erupting right now, only 8 contain
an active lava lake.
Saunders is the second volcano in this category in the Antarctic as the other is Mount Erebus.
Occasionally, a heat signature from this lava lake can be seen from satellite, indicating
that it is still quite active.
The reason why this volcano exists is the same reason why 7 other adjacent volcanoes
exist as part of the South Sandwich island chain.
Here, the South American plate which is to the east of the island is subducting underneath
the Sandwich Plate.
The melted material from this collision then migrates upwards until it erupts onto the
surface, forming a chain of volcanoes.
The tallest point on Saunders is 843 meters or 2,766 feet above sea level which gives
a clue about the overall age of the complex.
This height suggests that the volcanic complex has been active for many tens of thousands
of years if not longer.
Volcanic activity has occurred from three separate areas of the island.
To the northeast is what appears to be the oldest section of Saunders, where a group
of highly eroded volcanic cones now stand.
To the southeast is a tuff ring complex known as the Ashen Hills which formed through highly
explosive eruptions involving the interaction of shallow magma with ground or ocean water.
The water flashed to steam, built up in pressure, and ejected ash in an explosive event.
While almost all recent activity has occurred at the Saint Michael complex, this activity
has largely occurred through a north trending line of activity or fissure.
Looking south of Saunders main crater, a less than 1,000 year old lava flow can be seen,
which travelled approximately 300 meters.
Two other clusters of likely Holocene lava flows are located on the west and northwest
of the island, representing apparent flank vents.
During the recorded history of this complex, Saunders largest explosive eruption occurred
in 1819, having a volcanic explosivity index of a 2.
The rest of its eruptions were rated as either a VEI 0 or 1.
However, it can be reasonably implied that the tuff ring forming eruptions on the southeast
of the island, whenever they occurred, perhaps could have reached a 3 or 4 on the same scale.
As a result, this volcano does potentially represent a hazard to aircraft as it could
one day produce a voluminous ash cloud.
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