Smithsonian Volcanoes Scraper

Smithsonian Volcanoes Scraper

Scrape detailed volcano records from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program, up to the full Holocene catalogue. Every record includes eruption history, location, tectonic setting, and physical characteristics. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program is the world's authoritative source for volcano data, but browsing and downloading records one by one is slow. This Actor reads the public volcano catalogue directly, collecting structured data on each volcano's type, location, last eruption, and more. It returns a clean dataset ready for analysis, mapping, or integration into your own geological database.

Who uses it	What they scrape Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program for
Geologists and volcanologists	Compile a regional inventory of Holocene volcanoes for hazard assessment.
Risk analysts	Extract eruption histories to model volcanic threat scores for populated areas.
Data journalists	Gather global volcano statistics for an interactive map or feature article.
Educators	Build a teaching dataset of volcano types, locations, and tectonic settings.

What it does

This Actor collects volcano records from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program's online catalogue and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🌋 Full catalogue access: Scrape the complete Holocene volcano list or target a specific subset by URL.
• 📍 Geospatial data: Each record includes latitude, longitude, and elevation for direct use in GIS tools.
• 📋 Structured output: Returns a consistent schema with volcano name, type, tectonic setting, and eruption timeline.
• ⚙️ Configurable volume: Set a maximum number of records to control the size of your dataset.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program data

🌋 Build a regional hazard map.

A geologist scrapes all volcanoes in a tectonic subduction zone, loads the coordinates into QGIS, and overlays population density to prioritize monitoring.

📊 Analyze global eruption trends.

A researcher collects the full Holocene catalogue, filters by eruption type, and charts activity patterns over the last 12,000 years.

📰 Create a data-driven story.

A journalist scrapes volcano locations and last-eruption dates, then builds an interactive globe showing which cities sit near active volcanoes.

🏫 Teach plate tectonics.

An educator downloads volcano coordinates and tectonic setting fields, then has students plot them to reveal the Ring of Fire.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
Authoritative source	Data comes directly from the Smithsonian, the definitive global volcano database.
Complete records	Each row bundles physical traits, location, and eruption history in one place.
GIS-ready	Latitude and longitude fields let you map the results immediately.
No manual copying	Scrapes hundreds of records in one run instead of clicking through individual volcano pages.

How it compares

No other Store actor targets Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program the same way, so the honest comparison is with the alternatives teams actually weigh.

	Smithsonian Volcanoes Scraper	Build it in-house	By hand
Setup	Run it now, zero config	Days of engineering	None, but hours per pull
When Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program changes	Maintained for you	You fix it	You re-learn the page
Proxies, retries, anti-bot	Built in	Your problem	Browser only
Output	Fixed JSON schema, CSV/Excel export	Whatever you build	Copy-paste
Cost	Pay per result	Engineering time	Analyst hours

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from the default Holocene volcano catalogue URL or any other list page on volcano.si.edu, and set a maximum record count to limit the run. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "startUrl": "https://volcano.si.edu/volcanolist_holocene.cfm",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}

A larger pull:

{
  "startUrl": "https://volcano.si.edu/volcanolist_holocene.cfm",
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  },
  "maxItems": 200
}

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the Smithsonian Volcanoes Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/smithsonian-volcanoes-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check that the start URL points to a valid volcano list page on volcano.si.edu. If you are using a filtered URL, confirm the filter returns results when you open it in a browser.

The run is slow or timing out.

The site uses Cloudflare protection. Make sure the proxy configuration is set to use Apify residential proxies. If you are scraping a large number of records, increase the run timeout in the Actor settings.

Some fields are empty in my dataset.

Not every volcano record on the Smithsonian site has every field populated. If a volcano lacks a known eruption date or tectonic setting, that field will be blank in your output.

The scraper stopped before reaching my maximum count.

The site may have rate-limited the requests. Try reducing the maximum items and running in smaller batches, or ensure residential proxies are enabled.

FAQ

Question	Answer
What data does this Actor return for each volcano?	It returns the volcano name, country, type, latitude, longitude, elevation, tectonic setting, and the known eruption history as listed on the Smithsonian catalogue page.
Can I scrape only volcanoes from a specific country?	The Actor scrapes whatever list page you provide as the start URL. You can navigate the Smithsonian website to filter by country or region, then copy that filtered URL into the Actor input.
How many volcano records can I scrape in one run?	You control the maximum with the 'Maximum volcanoes' input. The full Holocene catalogue contains over 1,400 volcanoes, and you can set the limit to collect all of them.
Does this include eruption dates and details?	Yes, the Actor captures the eruption history section from each volcano's page, including start and stop dates, eruption type, and VEI when available.
Is the data suitable for GIS mapping?	Yes, each record includes latitude and longitude coordinates that you can import directly into ArcGIS, QGIS, or any mapping tool.
Do I need an API key to use this?	No, the Actor reads the public web pages of the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program. No registration or API key is required.
Can I get the data in Excel format?	Yes, the Actor exports to CSV, JSON, Excel, and XML, so you can open the results in your preferred tool.
What is the Holocene catalogue?	It is the Smithsonian's list of volcanoes known to have erupted in the last 12,000 years, which is the default dataset this Actor scrapes.
Does the Actor handle Cloudflare protection on the site?	Yes, it uses Apify's residential proxies by default to route around Cloudflare and keep the scraper running.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Smithsonian Institution. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.