Mount Erebus

About Mount Erebus:

• It is the most southerly active volcano on Earth. It is situated on Ross Island, Antarctica.
• It’s a stratovolcano, characterized by a conical shape and layers of hardened lava, tephra, and volcanic ash.
• Mount Erebus is known for its persistent lava lake.
  • The lake has been active since at least 1972 and is one of only a few long-lived lava lakes on Earth.
  • It constantly churns and occasionally spews bombs of molten rock in Strombolian eruptions.
• Because the volcano is in a remote location, researchers monitor it using satellites.

What is a Stratovolcano?

• It is a tall, steep and cone-shaped type of volcano. Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks. They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
• Strato Volcanoes comprise the largest percentage (~60%) of the Earth's individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
• These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions. 
• They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
• At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater. The crater may be filled with water or ice, or it may contain a volcanic dome during a period of relative inactivity.