fumarole

American  

[fyoo-muh-rohl] / ˈfju məˌroʊl /

noun

fumaroles plural

1. a hole in or near a volcano, from which vapor rises.

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fumarole British  

/ ˈfjuːməˌrəʊl, ˌfjuːməˈrɒlɪk /

noun

1. a vent in or near a volcano from which hot gases, esp steam, are emitted

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fumarole Scientific  

/ fyo̅o̅′mə-rōl′ /

1. A vent in the surface of the Earth from which hot smoke and gases escape. Fumaroles are found on or near volcanoes, especially in areas where volcanic activity is in its later stages.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• fumarolic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fumaroles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fumarole

1805–15; < French fumerolle < Late Latin fūmāriōlum, diminutive of Latin fūmārium smoke chamber, equivalent to fūm ( us ) smoke + -ārium -arium; see -ole ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fumarole fumaroles

In September, three members of an Italian family died when an 11-year-old boy climbed the fence and his parents tried to rescue him from a fumarole.

From National Geographic ● Dec. 4, 2017

There they found a fumarole, an ancient vent for volcanic gases, and collected strange orange and red soil samples.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2017

Nearby, a mud fumarole bubbled and boiled at nearly 180 degrees, filling the air with a pungent sulfurous odor.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2015

A fumarole emits carbon dioxide and water vapor, and the heat from these emissions creates a hole for the vent.

From Time Magazine Archive

But if the fumarole continues active, hydrochloric acid issues with the smoke, and often some time after sulphuric acid.

From The Eruption of Vesuvius in 1872 by Palmieri, Luigi

The land doesn’t vent steam, emit fumaroles, or boast hot springs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026

He claimed to have been the first person to find helium on Earth, in 1868, using spectroscopy on Vesuvius’s fumaroles; helium had only been detected on the sun at that time.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 16, 2023

Many visitors go to the third volcano, Furnas, to soak in murky iron-rich thermal springs and eat cozido das Furnas, a mix of blood sausage, pigs’ ears and other goodies cooked in steaming fumaroles.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2022

She encountered the bear May 10 at Roaring Mountain, a hillside with numerous noisy steam vents called fumaroles.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 7, 2021

Gas issued from small vents called fumaroles, but the plumes of ash and steam and gas had ended on May 14.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone