Volcanic Seven Summits

The Volcanic Seven Summits are the tallest volcanoes on each of the seven continents. They are similar to the famous Seven Summits, which are simply the highest peaks on each continent. However, the Volcanic Seven Summits focus only on mountains that are active or extinct volcanoes.

Two of these volcanic peaks are also part of the regular Seven Summits list. This happens because some of the world's highest mountains were formed by volcanic activity. For example, Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount Elbrus in Europe are both volcanoes and the highest points on their continents.

Climbing these volcanic mountains is a big challenge for explorers and scientists. Each one has its own unique shape, history, and dangers. Studying these volcanoes helps us understand how Earth changes over time and how mountains are built up by fiery eruptions from deep within the planet.

Definitions and Disputes

Because of different ways to draw the lines between continents, there are several ways to decide which are the highest summits on each continent. The list here uses the common way most people in Western Europe and the United States think about continents.

deciding which volcanoes make the list is tricky. For a volcano to be on this list, it must be an actual eruptive volcanic center, not just made of volcanic rocks, and it must stand out from nearby non-volcanic peaks by at least 1,000 feet (300 meters).

There is no argument about the highest volcanoes in Africa, North America, and Antarctica: they are Kilimanjaro, Pico de Orizaba, and Mount Sidley.

For Australia or Oceania, some think the island of New Guinea is part of the Australian continent. In that case, the highest volcano is Mount Giluwe in Papua New Guinea. If we only count the Australian mainland, the highest mountain is Brumlow Top.

In Europe, the highest volcano is Mount Elbrus in Russia. Some geologists think the border between Europe and Asia is different, which would change which continent Elbrus belongs to.

In South America, Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano, even though Aconcagua is the highest overall peak.

In Asia, the highest volcano is Mount Damavand in Iran. There are some higher volcanic points in Tibet, but they are not considered true volcanic mountains.

List

The Volcanic Seven Summits are the tallest volcanoes on each of the seven continents. They follow a list created by Richard Bass, which includes Mount Kosciuszko as the highest mountain in mainland Australia. Another list by Reinhold Messner suggests Puncak Jaya in Indonesia instead.

Some people think the Caucasus Mountains belong to Europe, making Mount Elbrus in Russia Europe’s highest volcano. Others believe Mount Etna in Sicily holds that title. Two of these volcanoes, Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus, are also part of the famous Seven Summits list.

Volcanic Seven Summits (sorted by elevation)
Volcano	Bass list	Messner list	Elevation	Prominence	Continent	Range	Country
Ojos del Salado[*]	✔	✔	6,893 m (22,615 ft)	3,688 m (12,100 ft)	South America	Andes	Argentina Chile
Kilimanjaro[*]	✔	✔	5,895 m (19,341 ft)	5,885 m (19,308 ft)	Africa	-	Tanzania
Elbrus[*]	✔	✔	5,642 m (18,510 ft)	4,741 m (15,554 ft)	Europe	Caucasus	Russia
Pico de Orizaba[*]	✔	✔	5,636 m (18,491 ft)	4,922 m (16,148 ft)	North America	Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt	Mexico
Damavand	✔	✔	5,610 m (18,406 ft)	4,667 m (15,312 ft)	Asia	Alborz	Iran
Mount Sidley	✔	✔	4,285 m (14,058 ft)	2,517 m (8,258 ft)	Antarctica	Executive Committee Range	Antarctica
Mount Giluwe		✔	4,368 m (14,331 ft)	2,488 m (8,163 ft)	Oceania (continent)	Southern Highlands	Papua New Guinea
Brumlow Top	✔		1,586 m (5,203 ft)	1,118 m (3,668 ft)	Australia (mainland)	Barrington Tops	Australia

Climbing

In 2011, Mario Trimeri was the first person to climb all twelve peaks of both the Volcanic Seven Summits and the Seven Summits. These lists include Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus, which are the highest peaks of their continents and also volcanoes. Later, Yousef Al Refaie from Kuwait became the youngest person ever to complete the Volcanic Seven Summits at age 24. He reached the top of Mount Sidley in Antarctica. In 2018, Theodore Fairhurst from Canada became the oldest person to climb both the Seven Summits and the Volcanic Seven Summits at age 71. Most recently, in 2023, Caroline Leon from Australia finished climbing all the Volcanic Seven Summits in just 183 days, the fastest time ever recorded.