
An erupting volcano
A volcano is a geological formation on the surface of a planetary body. Molten rock is called magma within a volcano, and lava after it has been expelled.
Contents
Background[edit | edit source]
Volcanoes form in tectonically active areas. Magma movement forces the crust to flex, sometimes producing tremors and earthquakes, and pressure forces magma up through the top of the volcano. Two eruption stages are called Vesuvian and sub-Plinean. A stratovolcano is one type of volcano. (TOS novel: Firestorm)
Lava from erupting volcanoes can form islands in oceans. Over a span of eons, the lava breaks down into highly nutrient soil. (TOS novel: Deep Domain)
Free hydrogen can be extracted from volcanic gases. (TOS novel: Sanctuary)
Volcanoes can reach great heights in lower gravity environments. Mazama Mons on the moon Skaftar was 6,000 meters tall and 20 km across at the bottom. (TOS novel: Firestorm)
History[edit | edit source]
Volcanic gases produced Earth's atmosphere and oceans. (ST reference: The Physics of Star Trek)
252 million BC, the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event on Earth occurred from prolonged eruptions by super-volcanoes that triggered planet-wide climate change. This sort of activity became a terraforming technique used by the SCE on lifeless worlds. (Star Trek Adventures RPG module: The Sciences Division)
10,000 years ago, Mount Seleya on Vulcan erupted, expelling with such strength that debris cratered nearby moons. (TOS novel: Firestorm)
1400 years ago, according to Klingon legend, Kahless the Unforgettable made the first bat'leth out of a lock of his own hair on the slopes of Kri'stak volcano on Qo'noS. (TNG episode: "Rightful Heir"; DS9 episode: "The Sword of Kahless"; TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire)
The Messenger comet approached Bajor every 2,000 years, triggering volcanoes and other cataclysmic environmental changes. (DS9 comic: "Dax's Comet")
Native Doradin on Alpha Doradis II genetically engineered a virus to cause the extinction of colonial Xindi-Avians. The virus spread through volcanic vents and inadvertently harmed the planet's soil, killing both species. (Star Trek Adventures RPG module: Strange New Worlds: Mission Compendium Vol. 2)
In 2259 in the Kelvin timeline, Spock planted a cold fusion device within an active volcano on Nibiru to save the lives of indigenous villagers. (TOS movie: Into Darkness)
In the mid 2260s, on Alpha 332, James T. Kirk and Spock warned two species warring on the side of a volcano that it would shortly erupt. The humanoid Parracas evacuated their nearby village, but the simian Turracas ignored them and were killed by exploding lava. (TOS comic: "The Gods Have Come!")
In 2266, Kirk commented that the scream made by Jobo, a Rykunian octopus, would freeze a volcano on the planet Mercury. (TOS comic: "Furlough to Fury")

Crater of a volcano
In 2267, a lava river from an erupting volcano dragged along the Galileo shuttlecraft. A Tactisian duplicate of the shuttle landed at the top of the volcano within its crater. (TOS comic: "The Mimicking Menace")
In 2267, volcanoes formed during an attempt to force the planet Rimillia to rotate, breaking the tidal-lock to its star. (TOS novel: Twilight's End)
In the 2260s, mining operations on Taragon threatened a gigantic native organism. It fought back by triggering mining disasters and an erupting volcano. (TOS comic: "What Is This Thing Called Spock?")
In 2269, during a Vedala mission to retrieve and return the "Soul of the Skorr" on an unidentified planet, Kirk and his expedition were threatened by an erupting volcano. They hastily repaired their Vedala cart to outrun the lava flow. (TAS episode: "The Jihad")
In 2274, the Totality tapped the geothermal energies of an active volcano on a planet near Zaran II. (TOS novel: Triangle)
In 2275 during a layover, Spock studied volcanoes for a day near Reykjavik, Iceland. (TOS novel: Spock's World)
In 2293, during his retirement, Kirk rafted on flows of lava from the Valtarik volcano. (TOS - Crucible novel: The Fire and the Rose)
Alpha Centaurans alleviated tectonic stresses on Alpha Centauri IV by constructing artificial volcanic vents that redirected seismic stress. By the 24th century, the resulting giant artificial volcanoes had become a tourist attraction. (LUG RPG module: Planets of the UFP)

Volcanoes on Drema IV
By 2365, an overabundance of dilithium deposits had destabilized Drema IV, triggering earthquakes and volcanoes. The young Dreman Sarjenka began transmitting distress signals which were picked up by Lieutenant commander Data. (TNG episode: "Pen Pals")
As of 2369, the most recent eruption of Mount Vesuvius lasted nine hours. (TNG - Double Helix novel: Red Sector)
Lifeforms[edit | edit source]
Talarian hook spiders live in Monlynne's volcanic vents and are most active in volcanic temperatures. Vorian pterodactyls live on the volcanic island cliffs of Voria III. (Decipher RPG module: Creatures)
In 2267, a non-humanoid Tactisian lifeform lived within an active volcano on the asteroid Tactis II. A video camera robot was sent to probe the dangerous interior. (TOS comic: "The Mimicking Menace")
In 2273, a colony of sentient crystalline lifeforms was discovered within Rakatan Mons on Skaftar. They were made of coagulated silicates and communicated by producing vibrations in magma. (TOS novel: Firestorm)
Volcanoes[edit | edit source]
Sol system[edit | edit source]
Krakatoa (Indonesia) • Mount Fuji (Japan) • Mount Vesuvius (Pompeii) • Olympus Mons (Mars)
Vulcan[edit | edit source]
Mount Seleya (Vulcan's Forge) • Mount Tarhana (Kir) • Fire Plains (T'raan • T'regar • T'riall)
Other volcanoes[edit | edit source]
- Biluddin (Alpha 332) • Firefalls of Gal'Gathong (Karethvek, Romulus) • Graveyard of Lost Ships (Sanctuary) • Kri'stak volcano (Kra'ta plains, Qo'noS) • Mandara (Tohvun III) • Mazama Mons (Skaftar) • Moore's Fire Falls (M-317) • Monlynne (Talaria IV) • Mount Kyroa (Nausicaa) • Proutu (Tkon) • Rakatan Mons (Skaftar) • Shiluzeya (Shilu island, Akkalla) • Valtarik volcano
Planets and moons with volcanoes[edit | edit source]
- Akkalla • Alpha 332 • Alpha Doradis II • Aluwna • Ahmista • Bajor • Belle Terre • Betazed • Ceti Alpha V • Dakala • Devron II • Drema IV • Drenar IV • Dyson homeworld • Earth • Elysium • Etolos • Farius Prime • Hanon IV • Helva • Heronius • Koorn • Ligos VII • Lorca • M-317 • Mad Planet • Mars • Myrmidon • Nausicaa • Nibiru • Ocampa V • Okeanos • Ostratus • Penthara IV • Phaedra • Qo'noS • Rator II • Rimillia • Rithra • Romulus • Remus • Sanctuary • Selva • Sigma 1212 • Skaftar • Tactis II • Talaria IV • Taragon • Terratin • Tezwa • Tkon • T'Khut • Tohvun III • Tycho IV • Vanìmel • Voria III • Vulcan
External Links[edit | edit source]
- Volcano article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Volcano article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Appendices[edit | edit source]
Images[edit | edit source]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- TOS movie: Into Darkness
- TNG episode: "Pen Pals"
- TNG episode: "A Matter of Time"
- TNG episode: "All Good Things..."
- VOY episode: "Basics"
- ENT episode: "Horizon"
- TAS episode: "The Jihad"
- TOS novel: The Covenant of the Crown
- TOS novel: Triangle
- TOS novel: Deep Domain
- TOS novel: Sanctuary
- TOS novel: Firestorm
- TOS novel: To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh
- TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel: Exiles
- TOS comic: "The Mimicking Menace"
- TOS comic: "The Gods Have Come!"
- TOS comic: "What Is This Thing Called Spock?"
- TOS novel: Burning Dreams
- TNG novel: Kahless
- TNG novel: Q-Zone
- Star Trek Adventures RPG module: Strange New Worlds: Mission Compendium Vol. 2
References[edit | edit source]
- TNG episode: "Rascals"
- TNG episode: "Rightful Heir"
- ENT episode: "Dawn"
- ENT episode: "Rogue Planet"
- DS9 episode: "The Sword of Kahless"
- TOS novel: Spock's World
- TOS novel: The Disinherited
- TOS novel: From the Depths
- TOS novel: The Fearful Summons
- TOS novel: Twilight's End
- TOS - My Brother's Keeper novel: Constitution
- TOS - Crucible novel: The Star to Every Wandering
- TOS - Vulcan's Soul novel: Epiphany
- TOS novel: Excelsior: Forged in Fire
- TOS novel: Spectre
- TOS novel: Dark Victory
- TOS novel: Captain's Blood
- TOS comic: "Furlough to Fury"
- TNG novel: Masks
- TNG novel: Exiles
- TNG novel: Chains of Command
- TNG novel: War Drums
- TNG novel: Grounded
- TNG novel: Dyson Sphere
- TNG - Double Helix novel: Red Sector
- TNG novel: The Genesis Wave, Book Two
- TNG novel: Genesis Force
- TNG novel: The Battle of Betazed
- TNG - A Time to... novel: A Time to Die
- DS9 novel: A Stitch in Time
- DS9 - The Left Hand of Destiny novel: Book Two
- DS9 - The Brave and the Bold, Book One novella: The Second Artifact
- VOY novelization: Caretaker
- VOY novel: Ghost of a Chance
- VOY novel: Pathways
- ENT novelization: The Expanse
- ENT novel: The Good That Men Do
- ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing
- NF novel: Fire on High
- TLE novel: Serpents Among the Ruins
- TLE novel: Well of Souls
- Strange New Worlds short story: "A Ribbon for Rosie"
- Strange New Worlds short story: "The Name of the Cat"
- Strange New Worlds short story: "Flight 19"
- New Worlds, New Civilizations short story: "A Warrior's Path"
- Last Unicorn RPG module: The Way of D'era: The Romulan Star Empire
- Last Unicorn RPG module: The Way of Kolinahr: The Vulcans
- Last Unicorn RPG module: Planets of the UFP
- Decipher RPG module: Creatures
- Star Trek Adventures RPG module: Beta Quadrant Sourcebook
- Star Trek Adventures RPG module: The Sciences Division
- ST reference: The Physics of Star Trek
- Memory Beta articles sourced from novels
- Memory Beta articles sourced from reference works
- Memory Beta articles sourced from RPGs
- Memory Beta articles sourced from games
- Memory Beta articles sourced from episodes and movies
- Memory Beta articles sourced from comics
- Memory Beta articles sourced from novellas
- Memory Beta articles sourced from novelizations
- Memory Beta articles sourced from short stories
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