Smithsonian Global Volcanism ProgramVNUM 284160

Agrigan

Mariana Volcanic Arc, United States. This page separates the permanent volcano catalogue, historical eruption records, and selective weekly activity reports.

Coordinates
18.77° N, 145.67° E
Elevation
965 m
Last recorded eruption
1917 CE
Historical eruption records
1
Primary type
Stratovolcano
Evidence
Eruption Observed
GVP database
5.4.0
Catalogue revision
Revision 2

Volcano profile

Volcanic landform
Composite
Tectonic setting
Subduction zone / Crustal thickness unknown
Geologic epoch
Holocene
Major rock type
Basalt / Picro-Basalt
Region
Northwestern Pacific Volcanic Regions
Subregion
Mariana Volcanic Arc

Geological summary

The highest of the Marianas arc volcanoes, Agrigan contains a 500-m-deep, flat-floored caldera. The elliptical island is 8 km long; its summit is the top of a massive 4000-m-high submarine volcano. Deep radial valleys dissect the flanks of the thickly vegetated stratovolcano. The elongated caldera is 1 x 2 km wide and is breached to the NW, from where a prominent lava flow extends to the coast and forms a lava delta. The caldera floor is surfaced by fresh-looking lava flows and also contains two cones that may have formed during the only historical eruption in 1917. This eruption deposited large blocks and 3 m of ash and lapilli on a village on the SE coast, prompting its evacuation.

Separate activity dataset

Weekly volcanic activity reports

Preliminary and selective

Smithsonian/USGS weekly reports are selective and preliminary. They are not a comprehensive list of all eruptions or volcanic activity.

No weekly report appears on this page. Absence from the weekly report does not establish an absence of volcanic activity.

Historical catalogue records

Eruption history

Dates can be approximate, incomplete, or BCE. These are historical catalogue observations, not a statement about present activity.

Historical Smithsonian GVP eruption records with original chronology, confirmation state, VEI, evidence, and source links.
StartEndActivityConfirmationVEIEvidenceRecord
1917-04-09 CENot suppliedConfirmed EruptionConfirmed4Observations: ReportedGVP 18502Database 5.4.0

Source and attribution

Source: Data: Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program, Volcanoes of the World.

View the original Smithsonian GVP record

Global Volcanism Program, 2026. Volcanoes of the World 5.4.0.

The GVP database is scientific documentation that changes as evidence is reviewed. Historical dates may be approximate or uncertain. This platform is not an official emergency-warning service.

Read the GVP terms of use

Data freshness

Source updated
Not supplied
Retrieved
11 Oct 2026, 13:07 UTC
GVP database version
5.4.0
Catalogue revision
2

Source-update and retrieval times describe this catalogue record. Each weekly report carries its own publication date and preliminary status.