Volcanic ash from Ambae volcano, Vanuatu, was reported at 4 300 m (14 000 feet) above sea level on March 1, 2026. Authorities keep the volcano at Alert Level 3, with activity confined to the summit caldera and hazards limited to a 3 km (1.9 miles) exclusion zone. The ash cloud was observed moving southeast at approximately 28 km/h (17 mph).
A significant explosive eruption occurred at Kanlaon Volcano, Philippines, at 19:04 local time (LT) on February 26, 2026, sending a dense ash plume 2.5 km (1.6 miles) above the crater and producing pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) that descended its upper slopes. The eruption lasted two minutes and was followed by 77 minutes of continuous ash emission dispersed over southern Negros Island.
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) raised the Volcanic Alert Level for Ambae volcano to Level 3 on February 23, 2026, following increased eruptive activity that began on February 20. Ash emissions have reached up to 4 900 m (16 000 feet) above sea level on February 24, and the hazard zone has expanded to a 3 km (1.9 miles) radius around the active vent in Lake Voui.
More than 30 families evacuated La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, Philippines, after an explosive eruption at Kanlaon volcano at 16:39 LT (08:39 UTC) on February 19, 2026. The eruption generated a 2 000 m (6 562 feet) ash plume, pyroclastic density currents within 2 km (1.2 miles) of the crater, and ashfall across 41 barangays in six cities and municipalities.
Satellite monitoring confirms that Home Reef volcano in Tonga remains active nearly two months after its latest eruption began on December 17, 2025. The eruption has expanded the island’s surface area by nearly 8 ha (20 acres) as lava flows extended its margins east, south, northwest, and north.
A new swarm of hybrid seismic events began beneath Teide volcano on Tenerife at 20:00 LT (21:00 UTC) on February 16, 2026, according to the Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (INVOLCAN). More than 300 very low-magnitude earthquakes have been detected so far by the Canary Seismic Network, marking the eighth swarm of this type recorded on the island since 2016. INVOLCAN attributes the activity to magmatic-fluid injection into Tenerife’s hydrothermal system and states that the likelihood of an eruption remains unchanged.
Kīlauea volcano’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater produced one of its most intense eruptive episodes in months on February 15, 2026, when dual vents discharged lava at rates up to 780 m³/s (1 000 yd³/s) and fountains rose 400 m (1 300 feet) high before the activity paused at 23:38 HST. The episode released an estimated 11.4 million m³ (15 million yd³) of lava and covered about half of the crater floor.
A second effusive eruption began at Piton de la Fournaise, La Réunion, at 10:06 LT on February 13, 2026, after a new seismic crisis beneath the summit. The eruption is occurring on the south–south-east flank inside the Enclos Fouqué caldera, where fissures opened and lava flows are descending the Grandes Pentes. Authorities activated ORSEC Alert 2–1 and closed access to the caldera.
Multiple eruptions at Mount Semeru in East Java, Indonesia, on February 13 and 14, 2026, produced pyroclastic flows up to 6 km (3.7 miles) down the volcano’s southeastern flank and ash plumes up to 2 000 m (6 500 feet) above the crater. PVMBG maintains a 13 km (8 miles) exclusion zone in the southeastern sector.
Satellite observations show that Heard Island’s Big Ben volcano remains active, with lava flows detected through late January and February 2026. The Darwin VAAC reported that the ash plume from a brief eruption around 14:00 UTC on February 11 reached 7.3 km (24 000 feet) above sea level and fully dissipated by the following day.
