Northern EPR at 9.8°N

Geography & Climate

Northern EPR at 9.8°N is located in Undersea Features, within the Northern East Pacific Rise Volcanic Province of the broader Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions. Situated at 9.83° N, 104.30° W in the Northern Hemisphere, the volcano lies within a tropical climate zone. With an elevation of -2,500 meters — below sea level — Northern EPR at 9.8°N is a submarine or submerged volcanic feature. Submarine volcanoes make up the majority of Earth's volcanic activity, though most eruptions go unobserved beneath the ocean surface. The volcanic landform is characterized as a cluster, which describes the physical shape and structure of the volcanic edifice as observed from the surface.

Geological Context

Northern EPR at 9.8°N is situated along a rift zone, where tectonic plates are pulling apart. As the crust thins and fractures, magma rises to fill the gap, creating volcanic activity. Rift volcanism typically produces more fluid lava flows rather than explosive blasts, which means communities near Northern EPR at 9.8°N in Undersea Features generally face slower-moving hazards like lava flows and ground fissures rather than sudden pyroclastic events. However, rift volcanoes can still generate significant ash emissions and gas releases that affect local air quality. The dominant rock type is basalt / picro-basalt, a dark, fine-grained volcanic rock that forms from rapidly cooling, low-viscosity lava. Basaltic eruptions tend to be less explosive and produce fluid lava flows that can travel long distances. While less immediately dangerous than explosive eruptions, basaltic lava flows can destroy structures and infrastructure in their path, and volcanic gases released during these eruptions can affect air quality over a wide area.

Eruption History Summary

Northern EPR at 9.8°N has 18 recorded eruptions in the geological database, spanning from 5050 BCE to 2025 CE. This level of eruptive frequency indicates a persistently active volcanic system that warrants ongoing monitoring. With eruptive activity as recently as 2025 CE, Northern EPR at 9.8°N remains an actively monitored volcano.

Significance

With 18 recorded eruptions, Northern EPR at 9.8°N has a substantial eruptive history that provides valuable data for understanding volcanic behavior and assessing future hazards in the Eastern Pacific Volcanic Regions region. Given its recent activity, Northern EPR at 9.8°N is closely monitored by geological survey organizations to provide early warning of future unrest.

GVP Reference Summary

A series of dives with the submersible Alvin in 1991 on the East Pacific Rise at about 9°50'N detected evidence for a very recent, possibly ongoing, eruption. Hot-vent animal communities documented during November-December 1989 had been buried by fresh basaltic lava flows, and the scorched soft tissues of partially buried biota had not yet attracted bottom scavengers. Fresh black smoker chimneys and new lava flows were present. This site is south of the Clipperton Fracture Zone at a depth of about 2,500 m, and about 1,000 km SW of Acapulco, México; the south end of the Lamont Seamount chain is about 10 km NW. This is also the location where lava flows previously estimated as being less than roughly 50 years old had been found. Later dating using very short half-life radionuclides from dredged samples confirmed the young age of the eruption and indicated that another eruptive event had taken place in late 1991 and early 1992. An eruption in 2005-2006 produced lava flows that entrapped previously emplaced seismometers.

— Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program