Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression. The term is used to describe both lava lakes that are wholly or partly molten and those that are solidified (sometimes referred to as frozen lava lakes).
Formation Lava lakes can form in three ways: from one or more vents in a crater that erupts enough lava to partially fill the crater; or when lava pours into a crater or broad depression and partially fills the crater; or atop a new vent that erupts lava continuously for a period of several weeks or more and slowly builds a crater progressively higher than the surrounding ground.
Behaviors Lava lakes occur in a variety of volcanic systems, ranging from the basaltic Erta Ale lake in Ethiopia and the basaltic andesite volcano of Villarrica, Chile, to the unique phonolitic lava lake at Mt. Erebus, Antarctica. Lava lakes have been observed to exhibit a range of behaviours. A "constantly circulating, apparently steady-state" lava lake was observed during the 1969–1971 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kīlauea, Hawaii.Swanson et al. (1979) "Ground deformation at Pu'u 'O'o. U.S. Geological Survey Chronological narrative of the 1969-71 Mauna Ulu eruption of Kilauea volcano". US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1056 By contrast, a lava lake at the 1983–1984 Puʻu ʻŌʻō eruption of Kilauea displayed cyclic behaviour with a period of 5–20 minutes; gas "pierced the surface" of the lake, and the lava rapidly drained back down the conduit before the onset of a new phase of lake activity.Wolfe et al. (1988). "Geologic observations and chronology of eruptive events". US Geological Survey Professional Paper 1463 The behaviour observed is influenced by the combined effects of pressure within the reservoir, exsolution and decompression of gas bubbles within the conduit and, potentially, exsolution of bubbles within the magma reservoir. Superimposed upon this is the effect of bubbles rising through the liquid, and coalescence of bubbles within the conduit. The interactions of these effects can create either a steady-state recirculating lake, or a lake level that periodically rises and then falls.Witham and Llewellin (2006). "Stability of Lava Lakes". +Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research vol. 158 p.321–332
Notable examples Persistent lava lakes are a rare phenomenon. Only a few volcanoes have hosted persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decades:
Mount Erebus, Ross Island, Antarctica Erta Ale, Ethiopia Kīlauea, Big Island, Hawaii Masaya volcano, Nicaragua Mount Michael, Saunders Island, South Sandwich Islands Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo Mount Yasur, Vanuatu Tofua, Tonga
The lava lakes at Ambrym volcano disappeared after a large eruption in December 2018.
For many years, Kīlauea had two persistent lava lakes: one in the Halemaʻumaʻu vent cavity within the summit caldera, and another within the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone located on the east rift zone of the volcano. In May 2018, both of these lava lakes disappeared as a result of increased activity in Kīlauea's east rift zone. The lava lake at Halemaʻumaʻu returned in December 2020, after Kīlauea's first eruption in over two years. The lava lake solidified after the eruption ended in May 2021, but returned again when eruptive activity at Halemaʻumaʻu resumed on September 29, 2021. Following the 2021 eruption, three more occurred on January 5, 2023; June 7, 2023; and September 10, 2023. As of December 2025, Halemaʻumaʻu is erupting episodically, however no lava lake has formed
Nyiragongo's lava lake has usually been the largest and most voluminous in recent history, reaching 700 meters wide in 1982, although Masaya is believed to have hosted an even larger lava lake at the time of the Spanish conquest, being 1,000 meters wide in 1670. The lava lake at Masaya came back in January 2016.
In addition to the aforementioned persistent lava lakes, a certain number of occurrences of temporary lava lakes (sometimes called lava ponds or lava pools, depending on their size and nature) have also been observed and are listed in the following table.
List of volcanoes having displayed past or present lava lake activity
Volcano Location Persistent or near-persistent lava lakes during recent decadesErta Ale EthiopiaMount Erebus Ross Island, AntarcticaKīlauea Halemaʻumaʻu Hawaii (Big Island)Nyiragongo (the largest one in the past century) Democratic Republic of the CongoMount Michael Saunders Island, South Sandwich IslandsAmbrym (two lava lakes in both Benbow and Marum craters since around 1991; following an earthquake in December 2018 both lakes are buried under collapsed craters) Ambrym Island, VanuatuTofua (possibly in 2004 and 2006), lava lake sighted in 2023 and 2025. Tofua Island, Tonga Recent intermittent lava lake activityMasaya NicaraguaMount Yasur Tanna Island, VanuatuVillarrica ChileKarthala Grande Comore, ComorosPiton de la Fournaise (small temporary lava pond in Dolomieu crater) Réunion IslandOl Doinyo Lengai (only active volcano in the world emitting carbonatite lava) TanzaniaTurrialba (small lake) Costa Rica Unconfirmed lava lake activityTelica (possibly in 1971 and 1999–2000) NicaraguaTungurahua (possibly in 1999) EcuadorNabro (possibly in 2012) Eritrea Lava lake activity suggested by satellite remote-sensing dataMount Michael Saunders Island, South Sandwich IslandsMount Belinda Montagu Island, South Sandwich IslandsMawson Peak Heard Island Past lava lake activityKīlauea Puʻu ʻŌʻō crater (1983–2018, collapsed during the 2018 Puna eruption) Hawaii (Big Island)Mount Matavanu (during the 1905–1911 eruption) Savai'i Island, SamoaNyamuragiraTazieff, Haroun, Cratères en feu, éd. Arthaud, 1951. (lava lake located within the summit caldera, confirmed for the first time in 1921, drained in 1938, and temporary lava pond in the Kituro cone on the SW flank, during the 1948 eruption) Democratic Republic of the CongoCapelinhos (in 1958, a Surtseyan eruption) Faial Island, AzoresSurtseyDuncan C. Blanchard, From Raindrops to Volcanoes: Adventures With Sea Surface Meteorology, Dover Publications, 1967. (in 1964, during the 1963–1967 eruption which led to the formation of the island) IcelandTolbachik, part of the Klyuchevskaya volcanic complex (last observation of lava lake activity in 1964) Kamchatka, RussiaEtna (in 1974) Sicily, ItalyArdoukôba (in 1978) DjiboutiMount Mihara (in 1986) Izu Ōshima, Japan Stromboli (in 1986 and 1989) Aeolian Islands, ItalyLa Cumbre (in 1995) Fernandina Island, GalápagosPacaya (in 2000 and 2001) GuatemalaMount Edziza (0.9 million years ago) British Columbia, Canada Lava lake activity on other planetary bodiesLoki Patera IoJanus Patera IoPele Io
See also Kīlauea Iki – solidified lava lake in a pit crater
References
External links
Lava lake in Nyiragongo Volcano crater. Video on France 24 TV Into the mouth of a volcano, video footage of lava lake in Vanuatu's Marum volcano