Volcano Number

The Volcano Number, also known as the Volcano Reference File Number or VNUM, is a special system used to give each volcano on Earth a unique number. This helps scientists and researchers easily identify and study volcanoes. As of September 30, 2013, the VNUM consists of six numbers and does not start with 0 or 1, to keep it clear from older numbering 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 together 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.