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Global Volcanic Eruptions

Identification Information:
Citation:
Citation Information:
Originator: Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program
Publication Date: 20190708
Title: Global Volcanic Eruptions
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: vector digital data
Other Citation Details: Unknown ScaleBrokered
Online Linkage: http://geodata.pdc.org/geodata/world/vol_eruptions.zip
Description:
Abstract: This layer shows worldwide historical volcanic eruptions occurring from present day (June 2019) to the last 10,000 years. Adapted from Simkin and Siebert, 1994 "Volcanoes of the World: an Illustrated Catalog of Holocene Volcanoes and their Eruptions" and produced digitally by the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.The volcanic eruptions were rated using the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). The VEI is a simple 0-to-8 index of increasing explosivity, with each successive integer representing about an order of magnitude increase. Events prior to the 1900s may have not been recorded with an exact month and day and may have been inserted with a value of 1 during processing.
Purpose: For more than three decades the Smithsonian Institution has compiled descriptions of both ongoing and past volcanism around the world in order to better understand the full range of Earth's eruptive activity, and to make these data available to the ever-broadening community interested in volcanism. Two previous hardcopy versions of this data set (Simkin et al., 1981 and Simkin and Siebert, 1994) have been published, but even the latter has been out of print for several years. The development of the world wide web has made possible much wider dissemination of these data in a form that is easily updateable.
Supplemental Information: 1) Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program, Volcanoes of the World: http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/world/index.cfm2) International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI): http://www.iavcei.orgThe basic building block of the Smithsonian's volcano database is the "Catalog of Active Volcanoes of the World" (CAVW), a series of regional volcano catalogs published by IAVCEI beginning in 1951. The listings are not intended to be a comprehensive bibliography of references for a particular volcano or region, but represent those references that are cited as the sources of the volcano and eruption data in the CAVW. Several other global compilations have been helpful: among them are IAVCEI data sheets of post-Miocene volcanoes (1975-80), Volcano Letter reports of the U S Geological Survey from 1926-1955 (compiled in Fiske et al., 1987), independent compilations by Latter (1975) and Gushchenko (1979), and a caldera compilation by Newhall and Dzurisin (1988). Major sources of eruption data subsequent to or supplementing the CAVW can be found in a series of annual summaries by Gustav Hantke published between 1939 and 1962 (mostly in the IAVCEI publication Bulletin of Volcanology), and annual eruption compilations by the Volcanological Society of Japan (1960-96) and Smithsonian Institution reports (since 1968) in various formats, compiled in McClelland et al., (1985) and in the Activity Reports section of this website (Venzke et al., 2002-). The data sources referenced focus almost exclusively on Holocene volcanism and emphasize papers on volcanic stratigraphy and physical volcanology. Abstracts are typically not referenced unless they contain significant data not in other sources. As with the Georef bibliographic database, diacritical marks are not used.Any attempt to assess the distribution of volcanism through time must take into account the variable definitions of the word eruption. We consider an eruption to consist of the arrival of solid volcanic products at the Earth's surface. This can be in the form of either the explosive ejection of fragmental material or the effusion of initially liquid lava. This definition excludes energetic, but non-ash-bearing steam eruptions. The ejection of fragmental material, however, does not require magmatic explosions producing fresh (juvenile) pyroclastics; phreatic explosions of greatly variable intensity are produced by the interaction of volcanically generated heat and near-surface water and can eject significant amounts of old material. Most eruptions in fact result from a combination of magmatic and non-magmatic processes and are referred to as phreatomagmatic.The duration of eruptive events also influences eruption documentation. The word eruption has variously been applied to events ranging from an individual explosion to eruptive periods lasting up to hundreds of years. Quiescent periods are common during eruptions, and we have attempted to standardize eruption data by considering clearly linked events separated by surface quiet of up to three months to be part of the same eruption. This distinction is possible at volcanoes in more populated areas, but can be problematical in the case of scattered observations from travelers who witness an ongoing eruption from a remote volcano at separate times. Furthermore, the end of an eruption is often less dramatic than its start and therefore is often not documented; consequently many eruptions have only a start date. Further discussion of the uncertainties of eruption reporting and documentation can be found in Simkin and Siebert (1994).
Time Period of Content:
Time Period Information:
Single Date/Time:
Calendar Date: 20160201
Currentness Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: As needed
Spatial Domain:
Bounding Coordinates:
West Bounding Coordinate: -178.910004
East Bounding Coordinate: 178.477996
North Bounding Coordinate: 88.260002
South Bounding Coordinate: -77.529999
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: ESRI standard theme codes are used for relating FGDC metadata to the corresponding ISO categories
Theme Keyword: geoscientificInformation
Place:
Place Keyword Thesaurus: ArcIMS Metadata Server gazetteer
Place Keyword: Global
Place Keyword: World
Access Constraints: None
Use Constraints: By downloading, printing, or otherwise using text and image files from the SI website, users agree and warrant that they will limit their use of such files to fair use and will comply with all other terms and conditions of this license, and will not violate the rights of the Smithsonian Institution or any other person or entity. The Smithsonian Institution does not warrant that use of the text, images and content displayed on the website will not infringe the rights of third parties not owned by or affiliated with the Smithsonian. Unauthorized commercial publication or exploitation of text, images or content of this website is specifically prohibited. Anyone wishing to use any of these files or images for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, must request and receive prior written permission from the Smithsonian Institution. Permission for such use is granted on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of Smithsonian's Office of Product Development and Licensing. A usage fee may be assessed depending on the type and nature of the proposed use. Please acknowledge "Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program" as the data source in any disseminated use of the data file.
Point of Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: Pacific Disaster Center
Contact Person: Director
Contact Position: Data & Information Resources Division
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 2
City: Kihei
State or Province: Hawaii
Postal Code: 96753
Country: United States
Contact Voice Telephone: 808-891-0525
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 808-891-0526
Contact Electronic Mail Address: data@pdc.org
Security Information:
Security Classification System: 1
Security Classification: Unclassified
Security Handling Description: Grant access to all users
Native Data Set Environment: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 3; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.2.6.1500
Cross Reference:
Citation Information:
Originator: Smithsonian Institution - Global Volcanism Program
Publication Date: Unknown
Title: Global Volcanic Eruptions
Edition: 56ECCE91-45FC-449F-9FA8-CBA81FDE814D
Data Quality Information:
Attribute Value Accuracy Information:
Attribute Accuracy Report: References are linked directly to data in the Volcano Reference File. This sometimes results in apparently incorrect citations in lists of data sources for a volcano or a region. Discussion of another volcano or eruption (sometimes far from the one that is the subject of the manuscript) may produce a citation that is not at all apparent from the title. Alert readers will note a backlog of uncited references for publications in recent years, which we will continue to address. Please let us know of corrections or additions (with references or reprints if possible) that will help us improve the data file. Events prior to the 1900s may have not been recorded with an exact month and day and may have been inserted with a value of 1 during processing.
Logical Consistency Report: The volcano and eruption data presented on the Global Volcanism Program website are freely available, although users are strongly cautioned to consider the many uncertainties discussed under the Frequently Asked Questions and the Volcano, Eruption, and On-Line Summaries Data Criteria pages: http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/world/index.cfm
Completeness Report: Please continue to send the Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program reprints, copies of old documents, maps, photographs, as well as additions and corrections to the data on these pages. Including either original sources or a reference for data sources wherever possible is important to us in facilitating the incorporation of new data. Although staffing limitations often preclude individual response to comments, every communication is valued and we will do our best to evaluate it for possible incorporation into our database as it grows. Additions and corrections may not appear immediately on this web site; major updates will appear annually within the first few months of each year, along with occasional updates at irregular intervals. This kind of feedback, which can be sent electronically to vrf@volcano.si.edu, is important in building a better record of global volcanism that will benefit us all.
Positional Accuracy:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report: Geographic coordinates are listed in decimal parts of a degree. This facilitates both computer manipulation of data and rapid estimation of distances between points (one degree of latitude being equal to 111 km). To retain some indication of the accuracy of original locations, when converting from minutes and seconds we have listed three digits to the right of the decimal point only where seconds were originally specified. We list two digits if only degrees and minutes were given in the original (e.g., 71°41' = 71.68° whereas 71°41' 01" = 71.684°). Readers should also beware of obviously generalized locations such as X.00° or Y.50°. When different references give different positions for the same volcano, we attempt to determine which is most reliable, and list that location here. For some regions, where our archive of topographic maps permits, we have obtained more precise locations than given in older sources. Maps for the Kurils and Kamchatka, for example, have permitted correction of deliberately mislocated volcano positions that were a cold war artifact. Note that some locations are the center point of broad volcanic fields; these are flagged by an "*" after the latitude. Furthermore, even at individual volcanoes the coordinates given do not necessarily match the eruption site. Tens of kilometers may separate eruptive centers of a single volcano, particularly in large caldera complexes and rift settings.
Vertical Positional Accuracy:
Vertical Positional Accuracy Report: Elevation of each volcano's highest point is listed in meters above or below sea level. Elevation for the same volcano may differ because of different surveying techniques or because of volcanological changes. As with latitude and longitude, when separate values for the same feature appear in different references we display here the one that seems to be most reliable. When unable to resolve a difference any other way, we normally display the more recent figure. Some topographic maps do not list spot elevations for the summits of volcanoes; in this case the elevation of the last contour is used, followed by a "+". Most elevations, both in the CAVW and original references, are given in meters, but when we have had to convert from other units we have attempted to retain a measure of the original's accuracy by rounding the conversion to the same number of significant figures as in the original. Thus a 2,600 ft elevation, apparently rounded to the nearest 100 ft, is listed here as 790 m rather than the 792 m figure that is the exact metric equivalent (but implies more accuracy than in the original measurement). Volcano elevations in feet displayed to the right of the elevation in meters are calculated from data rounded to the nearest meter and thus have an accuracy of ± 2 feet.
Lineage:
Source Information:
Source Citation:
Citation Information:
Originator: Global Volcanism Program, Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, Room E-421 Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 20560-0119, 202-786-2404, 202-357-2476 fax, webmaster@volcano.si.edu
Publication Date: Unknown
Title: Global volcanic eruptions data acquisition
Other Citation Details: Item: 1 of 1Date Ordered: 20020516Date Received: 20020516Cost: FreeNotes: Data downloaded from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program, Volcanoes of the World website: http://www.volcano.si.edu/gvp/world/index.cfm
Type of Source Media: online
Source Time Period of Content:
Time Period Information:
Single Date/Time:
Calendar Date: Unknown
Source Currentness Reference: ground condition
Source Citation Abbreviation: Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program
Source Contribution: 1
Process Step:
Process Description: The Pacific Disaster Center downloaded the volcano eruption dataset from Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program website. The tabular data was read into MS Excel, and an ArcView shapefile was created. The shapefile was reprojected to Mercator/WGS84.
Process Date: 20020101
Distribution Information:
Distributor:
Contact Information:
Contact Person Primary:
Contact Person: Director
Contact Organization: Pacific Disaster Center
Contact Position: Data & Information Resources Division
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 2
City: Kihei
State or Province: Hawaii
Postal Code: 96753
Country: United States
Contact Voice Telephone: 808-891-0525
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 808-891-0526
Contact Electronic Mail Address: data@pdc.org
Resource Description: Downloadable Data
Distribution Liability: By downloading, printing, or otherwise using text and image files from the SI website, users agree and warrant that they will limit their use of such files to fair use and will comply with all other terms and conditions of this license, and will not violate the rights of the Smithsonian Institution or any other person or entity. The Smithsonian Institution does not warrant that use of the text, images and content displayed on the website will not infringe the rights of third parties not owned by or affiliated with the Smithsonian. Unauthorized commercial publication or exploitation of text, images or content of this website is specifically prohibited. Anyone wishing to use any of these files or images for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, must request and receive prior written permission from the Smithsonian Institution. Permission for such use is granted on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of Smithsonian's Office of Product Development and Licensing. A usage fee may be assessed depending on the type and nature of the proposed use. Please acknowledge "Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program" as the data source in any disseminated use of the data file.
Metadata Reference Information:
Metadata Date: 20160201
Metadata Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: Pacific Disaster Center
Contact Person: Director
Contact Position: Data & Information Resources Division
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical address
Address: 1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 2
City: Kihei
State or Province: Hawaii
Postal Code: 96753
Country: United States
Contact Voice Telephone: 808-891-0525
Contact Facsimile Telephone: 808-891-0526
Contact Electronic Mail Address: data@pdc.org
Metadata Standard Name: FGDC Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata Standard Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata Time Convention: local time
Metadata Access Constraints: Grant access to all users
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