May 1, 1808 Eruption of Sao Jorge

Name: May 1, 1808 Eruption of Sao Jorge
Start: 1808-05-01
Location: Sao Jorge, Portugal

May 1, 1808 · VEI 1 · 9 deaths

Sao Jorge in Portugal erupted on May 1, 1808 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 1. The eruption killed 9 people.

Where it erupted

Sao Jorge, Portugal, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories

The eruption

Date: May 1, 1808
Volcano: Sao Jorge, fissure vent
Country: Portugal
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 1, small (eruption column 100 m to 1 km)
Killed by: Lava flows
Location: 38.650° N, 28.080° W

The toll

Deaths: 9

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

People attempting to save furniture remained too long in vicinity of advancing lava. About 60 were scalded by flashes of steam. 8-10 died on the spot or a few days later.

Other significant eruptions of Sao Jorge

Every eruption in 1808 The 1800s Sao Jorge Earthquakes near Sao Jorge This day in weather history

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4346.