Volcano Number

The Volcano Number, also called the Volcano Reference File Number or VNUM, is a special system that gives each volcano on Earth a unique number. This helps scientists and researchers identify and study volcanoes easily. As of September 30, 2013, the VNUM has six numbers and does not start with 0 or 1, to avoid confusion with older systems.

The VNUM was created by the Catalogue of the Active Volcanoes of the World project, led by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI), in the late 1930s. Today, it is managed by the Global Volcanism Program at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., working with IAVCEI and the World Organization of Volcano Observatories.

This numbering system was featured in both editions of the book Volcanoes of the World, published in 1981 and 1994. Before September 30, 2013, the system used four numbers, a hyphen, and then two or three more numbers. The first two numbers showed the region, the next two the subregion, and the last two or three the specific volcano.