I'm doing a project on volcanoes at school. Have there been volcanoes in England? Is it possible for a volcano to erupt in England now?

rocky Caroline Attridge

Hi Caroline,

There have not been volcanoes in England for a very long time. Most British volcanologists go to Italy to see live volcanoes.

The most famous volcanic features near England are probably those out in the Hebrides Islands of Scotland. They are the old eroded remnants of what were once very large volcanoes. They are very old, more than 50 million years old, in fact. They are very useful places for volcanologists to study because all that erosion has exposed the inner plumbing of the volcanoes. This inner plumbing is hidden from view at younger volcanoes by all the lava flows and ash layers on the surface.

The names of 3 of these old volcanoes are Mull, Rhum, and Ardnamurchan.

There is probably very little chance of any young volcanoes appearing in England (or Scotland) today. The British Isles are not close to any of the places on Earth where magma makes its way to the surface (such as mid-ocean ridges, subduction zones, and hotspots). but you never know for certain...

Sincerely,

Scott Rowland, University of Hawaii 

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