In Australia, there are no active volcanoes: the continent is "resting" on a solid slab, so there is no geological activity in Australia for about 1.5 million years - unlike Polynesia, Australia's closest neighbor, where the world's highest volcanoes Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea .
Are there any volcanoes in Australia?
Australia, the active volcanoes of "neighbors" deliver quite a few problems - only echoes reach the mainland. The only thing that can affect the tectonic activity of volcanoes in the vicinity of the mainland is the extraction of gas from the coastal shelf.
If you consider Australia not as a continent, but as a state, you should remember that it includes the islands of Polynesia and Oceania. Therefore, the answer to the question "Are there any volcanoes in Australia" will be positive. But the list of extinct volcanoes in Australia is quite extensive; it includes 18 volcanoes, such as Atherton (on its slopes today is the city of Atherton, this volcano erupted relatively recently - just some 100 thousand years ago), Barrin and Ichem (in their craters now have the same name of the lake), Hillsborough, Bundaberg and others.
Mawson
4000 km from Australia is the volcanic island of Heard, which is a basalt stratovolcano Mawson (he has another name - "Big Ben"). Mawson is an active volcano: its eruptions were recorded in 1881, 1910, 1950-1954, 1984-1985, 1993, 2000. The last to date eruption occurred from May 2006 to November 2007.
Named Mawson in honor of the Australian geologist, explorer of Antarctica Douglas Mawson. This volcano rises above sea level to a height of 2745 m (is the highest point of the state of Australia). A narrow isthmus connects Mawson with the neighboring volcano Dickson.
Underground circuit of volcanoes on the continent Australia
In 2015, the publication Cnet published the results obtained by the research team led by Rodi Davis: Australia has been found the world's longest continental chain of volcanoes, hidden deep in the earth's crust. The length of the chain is 2 thousand kilometers, it is almost 2 times greater than the length of the Yellowstone subterranean chain.
The chain of volcanoes, which received the poetic name "The Trail of Fires," crosses the eastern part of the mainland almost completely. It was formed as a result of the passage of the continent (during its shift) over the active volcanic point in the earth's mantle. The length is not the only interesting feature of the "Campfire Trail": it is also located far enough from the tectonic plate on which the Australian continent rests, so the chain attracts increased attention of scientists: they believe that its study can shed light on the processes of the continents' movement.
Volcanic Islands of Australia
770 km from Sydney is the volcanic island of Lord Howe, which is the oldest volcanic island of the Pacific Ocean; it was formed as a result of the unification of two volcanic islands. In 20 km from it there is one more volcanic island, Bols-Pyramid (both islands were opened simultaneously, in 1788). The Bol-Pyramid is the highest of all volcanic cliffs, its peak height is 562 m above sea level. Today the island is part of the Lord Howe Marine Park.
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