The southwest side of Tristan da Cunha volcano rises above the southern Atlantic ocean. The summit cone Queen Mary’s Peak towers above high cliffs along most of the 12-km-wide island. Lava flows dominate both the low-angle base and the steep upper flanks, although pyroclastic cones ringing the central cone are scattered around the lower flanks. An eruption in 1961 occurred from a vent on the northern coast, just east of the island's only settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, forcing its evacuation.

Photo by Vicky Hards, 2004 (British Geological Survey, copyrighted NERC).

Copyrighted image used with permission. All Rights Reserved. Contact photographer for any usage requests.

Keywords: island volcano | stratovolcano

Tristan da Cunha