There are no active volcanoes in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but there are a few active and recently-active volcanoes in some British Overseas Territories, including Queen Mary's Peak in Tristan da Cunha, Soufrière Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat,as well as Mount Belinda and Mount Michael in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The last time that volcanoes were active in what is now the United Kingdom was the early Palaeogene period, just over 50 million years ago, associated with the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Modern day hills and mountains within the UK which are sometimes described as extinct volcanoes are in most cases (e.g. the 'central complexes' of western Scotland) the deeply eroded roots of volcanoes active during the Palaeogene or earlier times.[1]

List

Below is a list of extinct volcanoes in the United Kingdom.

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap  Download coordinates as: KML

England

Name Elevation Location Last eruption
metres feet Coordinates
Bardon Hill[2] 276 912 52°42′52″N 1°19′14″W / 52.7145°N 1.3206°W / 52.7145; -1.3206 (Bardon Hill) ±570 MYA
Barrow Hill[3] 174 571 52°30′22″N 2°07′34″W / 52.506°N 2.126°W / 52.506; -2.126 -
Brent Tor 335 1110 50°36′11″N 4°09′37″W / 50.603138°N 4.160225°W / 50.603138; -4.160225 Carboniferous
Calton Hill[4] - - 53°14′25″N 1°49′23″W / 53.240395°N 1.823151°W / 53.240395; -1.823151 ±330 MYA
Cawsand volcano[5] - - - ±280 MYA
The Cheviot 815 2674 55°28′42″N 2°08′44″W / 55.47823°N 2.14553°W / 55.47823; -2.14553 (The Cheviot) Ordovician
Gurnard's Head[5] - - - ±400 MYA
Helvellyn[6] 950 3118 54°31′38″N 3°00′58″W / 54.527232°N 3.016054°W / 54.527232; -3.016054 (Helvellyn) -
Scafells (including Scafell Pike) 978 2909 54°27′15.2″N 3°12′41.5″W / 54.454222°N 3.211528°W / 54.454222; -3.211528 (Scafells) -
Speedwell vent[7] - - 53°20′29″N 1°47′32″W / 53.3414°N 1.7921°W / 53.3414; -1.7921 Carboniferous
Warboys[8] - - 52°24′N 0°04′W / 52.4°N 0.07°W / 52.4; -0.07 (Warboys) Hercynian orogeny

Northern Ireland

Name Elevation Location Last eruption
metres feet Coordinates
Carrickarede - - ±60 MYA
Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland - - 55°15′00″N 6°29′07″W / 55.25000°N 6.48528°W / 55.25000; -6.48528 (Giant's Causeway) Palaeogene
Scawt Hill 378 1240 54°54′38″N 5°54′55″W / 54.9105°N 5.9154°W / 54.9105; -5.9154 (Scawt Hill) -
Slemish 437 1434 54°52′55″N 6°5′49″W / 54.88194°N 6.09694°W / 54.88194; -6.09694 (Slemish) Paleogene
Slieve Gallion 528 1732 54°44′N 6°46′W / 54.73°N 6.76°W / 54.73; -6.76 (Slieve Gallion) -
Slieve Gullion 573 1880 54°08′N 6°26′W / 54.133°N 6.433°W / 54.133; -6.433 (Slieve Gullion) Paleocene
Tievebulliagh 402 1319 55°04′27″N 6°07′59″W / 55.07419°N 6.13302°W / 55.07419; -6.13302 (Tievebulliagh) -

Scotland

Name Elevation Location Last eruption
metres feet Coordinates
Anton Dohrn Seamount - - 57°30′N 11°00′W / 57.500°N 11.000°W / 57.500; -11.000 (Anton Dohrn Seamount) ±40 MYA
Ardnamurchan - - 56°44′00″N 5°59′00″W / 56.73333°N 5.98333°W / 56.73333; -5.98333 (Ardnamurchan) early Eocene: c.55 MYA
Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh 251 824 55°56′39″N 3°09′43″W / 55.94417°N 3.16194°W / 55.94417; -3.16194 (Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh) Carboniferous
Ben Nevis 1345 4411 56°47′49″N 5°00′13″W Carboniferous (collapsed dome)
Cuillin Hills (on Isle of Skye) 57°12′N 6°12′W / 57.20°N 6.2°W / 57.20; -6.2 (Cuillin Hills) Palaeogene
Dundee Law extinct volcano in Dundee 500 56°28′11″N 2°59′22″W / 56.4698°N 2.9894°W / 56.4698; -2.9894 (Dundee Law) Ordovician
Glen Coe Caldera - - 56°40′08″N 5°01′34″W / 56.669°N 5.026°W / 56.669; -5.026 (Glen Coe Caldera) Silurian
Hebrides Terrace Seamount - - 56°28′N 10°17′W / 56.467°N 10.283°W / 56.467; -10.283 (Hebrides Terrace Seamount) ±48 MYA
North Berwick Law 187 613 56°03′05″N 2°42′58″W / 56.05139°N 2.71611°W / 56.05139; -2.71611 (Berwick Law, North Berwick) Carboniferous
Peniel Heugh[9] 237 778 55°31′45″N 2°33′03″W / 55.5292°N 2.5508°W / 55.5292; -2.5508 (Peniel Heugh) -
Rockall 17 56 57°35′46.7″N 13°41′14.3″W / 57.596306°N 13.687306°W / 57.596306; -13.687306 (Rockall) -

Wales

Name Elevation Location Last eruption
metres feet Coordinates
Deganwy Castle volcano[10] 110 631 53°17′51″N 3°49′44″W / 53.2975°N 3.8290°W / 53.2975; -3.8290 (Deganwy Castle) -
Mynydd y Dref[11] 244 801 53°16′59″N 3°51′45″W / 53.2831°N 3.8624°W / 53.2831; -3.8624 (Mynydd y Dref) ±450 MYA
Rhobell Fawr 734 2408 52°48′50″N 3°48′07″W / 52.814°N 3.802°W / 52.814; -3.802 (Rhobell Fawr) -
Snowdon 1085 3560 -
Treffgarne Rocks - - 51°52′27″N 4°58′10″W / 51.8742°N 4.9694°W / 51.8742; -4.9694 (Treffgarne) Ordovician

See also

References

  1. ^ Emeleus, C.H.; Bell, B.R. (2005). The Palaeogene volcanic districts of Scotland (Fourth ed.). Nottingham: British Geological Survey, NERC. p. 6. ISBN 0852725191.
  2. ^ "Volcano models". British Geological Survey.
  3. ^ "Barrow Hill Local Nature Reserve". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  4. ^ British GS Calton Hill, accessed 21 October 2008
  5. ^ a b Charlotte, Becquart (14 January 2021). "Cornwall's volcanoes that were active hundreds of millions of years ago". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. ^ Oldroyd, David Roger (2002). Earth, Water, Ice and Fire - Two Hundred Years of Geological Research in the English Lake District. Geological Society. p. 277. ISBN 9781862391079. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  7. ^ Cheshire, S. G.; Bell, J.D. (1 December 1976). "The Speedwell Vent, Castleton, Derbyshire: A Carboniferous Littoral Cone". Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society. 41 (2): 173–184. doi:10.1144/pygs.41.2.173.
  8. ^ "The ancient volcano that's 81 miles from London". Heritage Daily. Heritage Daily. 10 May 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Peniel Heugh". Geology North. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Put a cork in it". Geocaching.com. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
  11. ^ BBC website Archived August 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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