Texas has over 200 volcanoes. But are any of them active? Here’s what to know

Dalia Faheid
·2 min read
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A volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland began Monday night after weeks of intense seismic activity.

This marked the the first time in 50 years that a largely populated area had to be fully evacuated in preparation for an eruption in Iceland, the Washington Post reported.

Elsewhere, the active volcano of Kilauea in Hawaii had been erupting almost constantly from its eastern rift zone since 1983. Then in April 2018, its 35-year-long eruption ended. The volcanic cone Puʻu ʻŌʻō stopped erupting as its crater floor collapsed, according to National Geographic. New eruptions are likely to happen in the future.

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In the continental U.S., the most recent cataclysmic eruption of a volcano was Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980.

“Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!” radioed U.S. Geological Survey scientist David Johnston, who was monitoring the volcano.

The blast killed Johnston and 56 other people, and it’s likely that it will erupt again.

Seeing the real-time hazards of this geologic formation around the world, does Texas have anything to fear? Does the Lone Star State have volcanoes of its own?

Are there volcanoes in Texas?

There are around 200 volcanoes in Texas that have been extinct for millions of years, making them unlikely to erupt again, because the volcano no longer has a magma supply. It could however be possible for them to become active again in the future, geologists say.

In far West Texas was where the last volcano erupted in the state 30 million years ago. In South and Central Texas, you can find remnants of marine volcanoes.

Though it may look like a small hill, Pilot Knob in Central Texas, with a diameter of more than two miles, is the largest extinct volcano in Texas. It is the only exposed submarine volcano in the state.

Where can I see volcanoes in Texas?

“Igneous rocks (both volcanic and intrusive) can be found in the Davis Mountains, Chinati Mountains, Big Bend National Park, and other places,” according to USGS.

  • Pilot Knob: formerly extremely active volcano that existed in Texas

  • Three Dike Hill: last to erupt in the state 30 million years ago

  • Paisano Peak: Volcano erupted 35 million years ago

  • Chisos Volcanic Complex: volcanic activity formed the mountains over 30 million years ago

  • Uvalde: a hotbed for volcanic eruptions during the cretaceous period

  • Cornudas Vents: 35-million-year-old vents were underground where they formed, and erosion exposed them over time

  • Tuff Canyon: volcanoes erupted 30 million years ago and expelled basalt lava rocks and hardened volcanic ash

  • Davis Mountains: 35 million years old and formed by magma from two volcanic centers

  • Quitman Mountains: series of calderas from the Eocene period that includes volcanic rocks

  • Mitre Peak: contains 35 million-year-old rhyolite lava from the Davis Mountains