Volcanoes are beautiful, but at the same time they are scary. They frighten with their power and the fact that they can become the perpetrators of death and destruction. And although volcanic eruptions are not frequent and are under the control of scientists, many active volcanoes still pose a danger to people living next to them. Here are the 10 most active volcanoes on Earth.
10 PHOTOS
Mauna Loa is one of the largest volcanoes on Earth in terms of volume and foot area. It is also one of the five volcanoes that form the Hawaiian Islands. It is an active volcano that has been erupting for approximately 700,000 years. The last volcanic eruption occurred on March 24, 1984.
Taal Volcano is located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about 50 km from the capital Manila. This is one of active volcanoes Philippines and it has erupted many times. The last eruption was in 1977.
Ulavun is one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea. And one of the most dangerous. The first eruption was recorded in 1700. Since then, 22 eruptions have been recorded. So in 1980, the eruption devastated an area of 20 square meters. km.
It is one of the most active volcanoes in Africa and one of the eight volcanoes in the Virunga Mountains. It has erupted at least 34 times since 1882. The last destructive eruption of Nyiragongo occurred on January 17, 2002, when lava destroyed approximately 40% of the city of Goma.
Merapi is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has been erupting regularly since 1548. The volcano is located near the city of Yogyakarta and thousands of people actually live on the slope of the volcano.
Galeras has been active for at least a million years. It is located in the southern part of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. Today it is the most active volcano in Colombia. After a 10-year sleep, in 1988 the volcano woke up, and in 1993 there was a catastrophe that resulted in the death of six scientists and three tourists.
Sakurajima is an active stratovolcano and former island. It is often called the Vesuvius of the East. A cloud of smoke is almost always visible above the volcano. The danger of the volcano is that next to it are densely populated areas of the city of Kagoshima.
Popocatepetl is an active volcano and the second highest peak in Mexico (5426 m). Residents of Puebla, 40 km from the volcano, enjoy the magnificent view of its snow-capped peak. The last major eruption was in 2000. Fortunately, scientists were able to warn the government and people were evacuated from the dangerous area. 
This is the most dangerous and active supervolcano, the eruption of which will lead to catastrophic consequences. A Yellowstone eruption could lead to the extinction of species and even the end of the world.
Volcanoes are geological formations on the Earth's surface where magma comes out in the form of lava. These mountains are not only on Earth, but also on other planets. So, the Olympus volcano on Mars reaches a height of several tens of kilometers. Such formations are dangerous not only with lava, but also with the release of a large amount of dust and ash into the atmosphere.
The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 made a lot of noise. Although it was not the most destructive in terms of strength, its proximity to Europe led to the impact of emissions on transport system mainland. However, history knows many other cases of the destructive effects of volcanoes. Let's talk about the ten most famous and large-scale of them.
Vesuvius, Italy. On August 24, 79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, which destroyed not only the well-known city of Pompeii, but also the cities of Stabiae and Herculaneum. Ashes even reached Egypt and Syria. It would be a mistake to assume that the catastrophe destroyed Pompeii alive, out of 20 thousand people, only 2 thousand died. Among the victims was the famous scientist Pliny the Elder, who approached the volcano on a ship in order to explore it and thus found himself practically at the epicenter of the disaster. During the excavations of Pompeii, it was found that under a multi-meter layer of ash, the life of the city froze at the time of the disaster - objects remained in their places, houses with furnishings, people and animals were found. Today, Vesuvius remains the only active volcano in the continental part of Europe, more than 80 of its eruptions are known in total, the very first one supposedly happened 9 thousand years ago, and the last one took place in 1944. Then the cities of Massa and San Sebastiano were destroyed, and 57 people died. Naples is located 15 kilometers from Vesuvius, the height of the mountain is 1281 meters.
Tambora, Sumbawa Island. The cataclysm on this Indonesian island happened on April 5, 1815. This is the largest eruption in modern history in terms of the number of people killed and the volume of ejected material. The catastrophe associated with the eruption and the ensuing famine killed 92,000 people. In addition, the Tambora culture, which Europeans had only met shortly before, completely disappeared from the face of the earth. The volcano lived for 10 days, decreasing during this time in height by 1400 meters. Ashes for 3 days hid the territory within a radius of 500 kilometers from the sun. According to the testimony of the British authorities in those days in Indonesia, it was impossible to see anything at arm's length. Most of the island of Sumbawa was covered with a meter layer of ash, under the weight of which even stone houses crumbled. 150-180 cubic kilometers of gases and pyroclassics were thrown into the atmosphere. The volcano therefore had a strong impact on the climate of the entire planet - ash clouds poorly transmitted the rays of the Sun, which led to a noticeable decrease in temperature. 1816 became known as "the year without summer", in Europe and America the snow melted only in June, and the first frosts appeared already in August. The result was massive crop failures and famine.
Taupo, New Zealand. 27 thousand years ago, a strong volcanic eruption occurred on one of the islands, surpassing even Tamboru in strength. Geologists consider this cataclysm the last such force in the history of the planet. As a result of the work of the supervolcano, Lake Taupo was formed, which today is the object of attention of tourists, as it is very beautiful. The last eruption of the giant took place in 180 AD. The ash and the blast destroyed half of all life on the North Island, about 100 cubic kilometers of tectonic matter fell into the atmosphere. The speed of the rock eruption was 700 km/h. The ash that rose into the sky painted sunsets and sunrises all over the world with purple, which was reflected in the ancient Roman and Chinese chronicles.
Krakatau, Indonesia. The volcano, located between the islands of Sumatra and Java, produced on August 27, 1883 the largest explosion of its kind in modern history. During the cataclysm, a tsunami up to 30 meters high appeared, which simply washed away 295 villages and cities, while about 37 thousand people died. The roar from the explosion was heard on 8% of the entire surface of the planet, and pieces of lava were thrown into the air to an unprecedented height of 55 kilometers. The wind carried the volcanic ash so much that after 10 days it was found at a distance of 5330 kilometers from the scene. The mountain-island then split into 3 small parts. The wave from the explosion circled the earth from 7 to 11 times, geologists believe that the explosion was 200 thousand times stronger than the nuclear strike on Hiroshima. Krakatau woke up before, so, in 535, his activity significantly changed the climate of the planet, perhaps then the islands of Java and Sumatra were divided. On the site of the volcano destroyed in 1883 during an underwater eruption in 1927, a new volcano appeared, Anak Krakatau, which is still quite active today. Its height is now 300 meters due to new activities.
Santorini, Greece. Approximately one and a half thousand years BC, a volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Thera, which put an end to the entire Cretan civilization. Sulfur covered all the fields, which made further farming unthinkable. According to some versions, it is Thera that is the very Atlantis described by Plato. Someone also believes that the eruption of Santorini entered the annals, like a pillar of fire seen by Moses, and the parted sea is nothing more than the consequences of the disappearance of the island of Thera under water. However, the Volcano continued its activity, in 1886 its eruption lasted a whole year, while pieces of lava flew straight out of the sea and rose to a height of 500 meters. As a result - several new islands nearby.
Etna, Sicily. About 200 eruptions of this Italian volcano are known. Among them were quite powerful ones, so, in 1169, about 15 thousand people died during the cataclysm. Today, Etna remains an active volcano with a height of 3329 meters, waking up about once every 150 years and destroying one of the nearby villages. Why don't people leave the slopes of the mountain? The fact is that the frozen lava helps the soil to become more fertile, which is why the Sicilians settle here. In 1928, besides, a miracle happened - the flow of red-hot lava stopped in front of the Catholic procession. This inspired the believers so much that in 1930 a chapel was erected on this site, 30 years later the lava stopped in front of it. The Italians protect these places, so in 1981 the local government created a reserve around Etna. It is curious that a blues music festival is even arranged on a calm volcano. Etna is quite large, exceeding the size of Vesuvius by 2.5 times. The volcano has from 200 to 400 side craters, lava erupts from one of them every three months.
Montagne Pele, Martinique island. The volcanic eruption on the island began in April 1902, and on May 8 a whole cloud of vapors, gases and red-hot lava hit the city of Saint-Pierre, located 8 kilometers away. A few minutes later he was gone, and of the 17 ships that were in the harbor at that moment, only one managed to survive. The ship "Roddam" escaped from the clutches of the elements with broken masts, smoking and littered with ashes. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants of the city, two escaped, one of them was called Opost Siparis, and he was sentenced to death. He was saved by the thick stone walls of the prison. Subsequently, the prisoner was pardoned by the governor, spending the rest of his life traveling the world with stories about what happened. The force of the blow was such that the monument on the square, weighing several tons, was thrown aside, and the heat was such that even the bottles melted. It is interesting that the outpouring of liquid lava did not directly occur, the impact was caused by vapors, gases and pulverized lava. Later, a sharp lava plug 375 meters high came out of the crater of the volcano. It also turned out that the bottom of the sea near Martinique had sunk several hundred meters. The city of Saint-Pierre, by the way, became famous for the birth of Napoleon's wife, Josephine Beauharnais, in it.
Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia. A 5,400-meter-high volcano located in the Andes spewed lava flows on November 13, 1985, and the main blow fell on the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers away. It took only 10 minutes for the lava to destroy it. The death toll exceeded 21 thousand people, and in total at that time about 29 thousand lived in Armero. Sadly, no one listened to the volcanologists' information about the impending eruption, since the specialists' information was repeatedly not confirmed.
Pinatubo, Philippines. Until June 12, 1991, the volcano was considered extinct for 611 years. The first signs of activity appeared in April and the Philippine authorities managed to evacuate all residents within a radius of 20 kilometers. The eruption itself claimed the lives of 875 people, while the US naval base and the US strategic air base, located 18 kilometers from Pinatubo, were destroyed. The ejected ash covered an area of 125,000 km2 of the sky. The consequences of the disaster were a general decrease in temperature by half a degree and a reduction in the ozone layer, due to which a very large ozone hole formed over Antarctica. The height of the volcano before the eruption was 1486 meters, and after - 1745 meters. At the site of Pinatubo, a crater with a diameter of 2.5 kilometers was formed. Today, earthquakes regularly occur in this area, preventing any construction within a radius of tens of kilometers.
Katmai, Alaska. The eruption of this volcano on June 6, 1912 was one of the largest in the 20th century. The height of the ash column was 20 kilometers, and the sound reached the capital of Alaska, the city of Juneau, located 1200 kilometers away. At a distance of 4 kilometers from the epicenter, the ash layer reached 20 meters. Summer in Alaska turned out to be very cold, as the rays could not break through the cloud. After all, thirty billion tons of rocks were taken into the air! In the crater itself, a lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed, and it became the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Reserve formed here in 1980. Today, the height of this active volcano is 2047 meters, and the last known eruption occurred in 1921.
Volcanic activity is a regular and harsh reminder that the planet we live on has an ever-changing geology. Located along the edges of tectonic plates, the volcano erupts through fissures, boiling magma, ash and gases from below the earth's surface to explode in response to changes in the arrangement of tectonic plates.
The catastrophic nature of erupting volcanoes in many ancient civilizations was attributed to the violent mood swings of the gods. We now have a more scientific understanding of volcanic eruptions, but it can still be unpredictable and dangerous. We present to your attention the ten active and most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
10. Mauna Loa, Hawaii
This volcano in Hawaii has been active for 700,000 years. Fortunately, many of the eruptions are slow, but sometimes the lava flows become fast and endanger nearby towns and villages. There is also the possibility of dangerous earthquakes.
9. Taal, Philippines
The volcano is located on Luzon Island in the center of Taal Lake. Its proximity to Manila makes it a constant threat to over 1.6 million residents. Since 1572, the volcano has erupted 33 times. Visitors are encouraged to view the volcano from afar, although many tourists do not follow this recommendation.
8. Ulavun, Papua New Guinea
Volcano Ulavun is one of the most active on the planet. It has had 22 major eruptions since the 1700s, and nearby residents report that they regularly see minor eruptions. The structural integrity of Olavun is questionable; if collapse occurs, the eruption could destroy hundreds of square kilometers of land.
7. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
This dramatic volcano has spectacular lava lakes near its crater. These lakes come and go, sometimes with quite devastating consequences. In 1977, an eruption occurred in which lava had a speed of 97 km/h and destroyed nearby villages, killing and injuring thousands of people. 147 people died in the eruption in 2002, and another 120,000 lost their homes.
6. Merapi, Indonesia
Mount Merapi is considered the most active in Indonesia, and it produced a record amount of lava. Measuring only the flow, Merapi is the most active volcano on the planet. It has been active for at least 10 thousand years. A review of the 2010 eruption recorded 353 dead people, and more than 320 thousand people were left homeless.
5. Galeras, Colombia
This volcano is located near the border of Ecuador. It erupts frequently and actively for an impressively long time. Scientists estimate that the volcano has been erupting for one million years or more. The first recorded eruption was in 1580, and between 1978 and 1988, Galeras was temporarily dormant. Once active again, it behaves menacingly, erupting almost every year since the beginning of the new millennium. The town of Pasto on the eastern slope of Galeras is home to 450,000 inhabitants.
4. Sakurajima, Japan
On the list of active volcanoes, Sakurajima is known as the "Vesuvius of the East", referring to its high activity. It is separated from the Japanese mainland, but the lava flows from the 1914 eruptions effectively created a land bridge connecting it to the rest of Japan. Sakurajima produces thousands of small eruptions every year. If a major eruption occurs, 700,000 residents in the city of Kagoshima will be at risk.
3. Popocatepetl, Mexico
Popocatepetl is located just 56 km from Mexico City and broke out recently, in 2000. Forty-one thousand people would be in danger of losing their lives if they were not evacuated in time. Nine million people live within the blast radius. If a major eruption ever occurs, it will be a disaster. Therefore, Popocatepetl is one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet, and the most active.
2. Vesuvius, Italy
Vesuvius is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world. Anyone who studied history in school knows about the famous catastrophic eruption in 79 AD. BC, which destroyed the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. Volcanic ash has preserved two sites, making them one of the most famous archaeological sites on earth. Vesuvius erupts cyclically, approximately every 20 years. The last recorded eruption dates back to 1944, so the next eruption is just around the corner. Three million people are not only within the radius of the explosion, but also close to the crater. This is another volcano that poses a serious danger to an incredible number of people.
1. Yellowstone Volcano, USA
Number one active volcano on our list is the Yellowstone Caldera. Active volcanic caldera in national park attracts about three million visitors a year. Its geysers and hot springs are beautiful, but they are also potentially deadly. Yellowstone is a supervolcano. Indeed, the famous major supervolcano eruption occurred in Yellowstone 640,000 years ago. If Yellowstone were to explode, it is estimated that 87,000 people would be killed instantly. The entire western part of the US will be devastated, and the ash will affect the ecology and health of people throughout the country and in the world. The explosion will be a global catastrophe of unprecedented proportions, and there is no way to predict how far its effects will spread.
We no longer associate volcanic explosions with the whims of angry gods, but we believe it is necessary to treat them with respect, at the very least, we must, to protect the people who live within range. The amount of damage from volcanoes can be enormous. The best geologists have come to understand volcanoes, and have determined that it is better to predict their explosions and protect large population centers.
10 largest and most dangerous volcanoes on Earth.
A volcano is a geological formation that arose due to the movement of tectonic plates, their collision and the formation of faults. As a result of collisions of tectonic plates, faults are formed, and magma comes to the surface of the Earth. As a rule, volcanoes are a mountain, at the tip of which there is a crater, which is the place where the lava comes out.
Volcanoes are divided into:
- operating;
- sleeping;
- extinct;
Active volcanoes are those that have erupted in the short term (approximately 12,000 years)
Dormant volcanoes are called volcanoes that have not erupted in the near historical perspective, but their eruption is practically possible.
Extinct volcanoes include those that have not erupted in the near historical future, however, the top has the shape of a crater, but such volcanoes are unlikely to erupt.
List of the 10 most dangerous volcanoes in the world:
1. (Hawaii, USA)
Located in the islands of Hawaii, it is one of the five volcanoes that make up the islands of Hawaii. It is the largest volcano in the world in terms of volume. It contains over 32 cubic kilometers of magma.
The volcano formed about 700,000 years ago.
The last volcanic eruption occurred in March 1984, and it lasted more than 24 days, causing great damage to people and the surrounding area.
2. Taal Volcano (Philippines)
The volcano is located on the island of Luzon, belonging to the Philippine Islands. The crater of the volcano rises 350 meters above the surface of Lake Taal and is located almost in the center of the lake.
The peculiarity of this volcano is that it is located in the crater of a very old extinct mega volcano, now this crater is filled with lake water.
In 1911, the most powerful eruption of this volcano occurred - then 1335 people died, within 10 minutes all life around the volcano died at a distance of 10 km.
The last eruption of this volcano was observed in 1965, which led to 200 human casualties.
3. Merapi Volcano (Java Island)
The name of the volcano in the literal sense is the Mountain of Fire. The volcano has been systematically erupting over the past 10,000 years. The volcano is located near the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the population of the city is several thousand people.
It was the most active volcano among the 130 volcanoes in Indonesia. It was believed that the eruption of this volcano led to the decline of the Hindu Kingdom of Matarama. The peculiarity and horror of this volcano is the speed of magma propagation, which is more than 150 km / h. The last volcanic eruption occurred in 2006 and claimed 130 lives and made more than 300,000 people homeless.
4. Santa Maria Volcano (Guatemala)
It is one of the most active volcanoes of the 20th century.
It is located at a distance of 130 kilometers from the city of Guatemala, and is located in the so-called Pacific. Ring of Fire. The Santa Maria crater was formed after it erupted in 1902. About 6,000 people died then. The last eruption occurred in March 2011.
5. Volcano Ulawun (Papua New Guinea)
Ulawun volcano, located in the region of New Guinea, began to erupt from the beginning of the 18th century. Since then, eruptions have been recorded 22 times.
In 1980, the largest volcanic eruption occurred. The ejected ash covered an area of more than 20 square kilometers.
Now this volcano is the highest peak in the region.
The last volcanic eruption occurred in the year 2010.
6. Volcano Galeras (Colombia)
The Galeras volcano is located near the border of Ecuador in Colombia. One of the most active volcanoes in Colombia, it has been systematically erupting over the past 1000 years.
The first documented volcanic eruption occurred in 1580. This volcano is considered the most dangerous because of its sudden eruptions. Along the eastern slope of the volcano is the city of Paphos (Pasto). Paphos is a residence for 450,000 people.
In 1993, six seismologists and three tourists died during a volcanic eruption.
Since then, the volcano has erupted every year, claiming thousands of lives and making many people homeless. The last volcanic eruption occurred in January 2010.
7. Volcano Sakurajima (Japan)
Until 1914, this volcanic mountain was located on a separate island in the immediate vicinity of Kyushu. After a volcanic eruption in 1914, a lava flow connected the mountain to the Ozumi Peninsula (Japan). The volcano was named as Vesuvius of the East.
It serves as a threat to the 700,000 people of Kagoshima City.
Since the year 1955, eruptions have occurred every year.
The government even built a refugee camp for the people of Kagoshima so they could find shelter during the volcanic eruption.
The last volcanic eruption occurred on August 18, 2013.
8. Nyiragongo (DR Congo)
It is one of the most active, active volcanoes in the African region. The volcano is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The volcano has been monitored since 1882. Since the beginning of observations, 34 eruptions have been recorded.
The crater in the mountain serves as a holder for the magma fluid. In 1977, there was a major eruption, neighboring villages were burned by hot lava flows. The average speed of the lava flow was 60 kilometers per hour. Hundreds of people died. The most recent eruption occurred in the year 2002, leaving 120,000 people homeless.
This volcano is a caldera - the formation of a pronounced rounded shape with a flat bottom.
The volcano is located in Yellow national park U.S.A.
This volcano has not erupted for 640,000 years.
The question arises: How can it be an active volcano?
There are claims that 640,000 years ago, this super volcano erupted.
This eruption changed the terrain and covered half of the US in ash.
According to various estimates, the volcanic eruption cycle is 700,000 - 600,000 years. Scientists expect this volcano to erupt at any time.
This volcano could destroy life on Earth.
According to a registry of active volcanoes compiled by scientists from the University of North Carolina, it was found that out of 1,500 dangerous craters, 50 erupt, and 11 are of particular concern. Oddly enough, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafyatlayokudl, whose eruption paralyzed the sky over the whole of Europe for several days, is considered a “background character” in the world.
In just three days, it released 140 million cubic meters of gas and dust into the atmosphere. A column of smoke rose to a height of 10 km, in which the air is so electrified that incredible lightning can be observed every 15 minutes. 
In the list of the most dangerous volcanoes, scientists included the Philippine Pinatubo, which in 1991 threw so much gas and ash into the atmosphere that changes were noted in the planet's climate over the next two years. Also included are the Italian volcanoes Stromboli and Etna. 
According to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, according to the European Space Agency, up to 500 million people live in the immediate vicinity of volcanoes. 90% of the 1,500 active volcanoes are concentrated on 40,000 kilometers of "ring of fire" in the Pacific Ocean. 
The publication recalled that a week ago, the deepest volcanic eruption took place at a depth of 1,500 meters under water in the region of Fiji and Samoa. To observe the volcano, it was necessary to construct a chamber that could withstand the melting temperature of lead. But the most "cold" vent is located above the ice shell in the Antarctic region. 
Eruptions usually begin with deep "breathing". The earth around the volcano seems to be retracted. Then the mountain begins to tremble, special sensors record the shaking of the soil. Then there is a dull sound that comes from the depths. 
However, the most dangerous volcanic eruption may occur very soon, scientists scare. The recently awakened Eyjafjallajokull is not so scary (his behavior already seems stable). However, the Katla volcano located 20 km away is of concern: it is five times larger and 100 times more powerful than Eyyafyatlayokudl, capable of spewing up to a billion cubic meters of lava per second. The data obtained from the observation equipment indicate that the volcano will wake up soon. A change in the direction of the flow of local rivers also indicates a rapid eruption.
"History indicates that it is very rare for Eyjafjallajokull to come to life without awakening the Katla volcano," the University of North Carolina's Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction said in a report. 
In the event of its eruption, scientists predict, we can expect a phenomenon called "volcanic winter": a cloud of ash beats off the sun's rays at a height, preventing them from reaching the earth's surface.
Experts see the reason for such massive manifestations of volcanic force in the melting of ice, which probably weakened the pressure of the surface layers of the Earth, allowing magma to rise up.
"In the coming years, we expect more frequent and more powerful eruptions in Iceland. Global warming is leading to the melting of ice. This phenomenon also affects the movement of magma under the Earth's surface," explained geologist Freisteinn Sigmundsson. 
But the current eruption is not capable of affecting the Earth's climate, even if someone believes that a cloud released by a volcano can help reduce the average temperature on the planet. Since the Icelandic volcano is much weaker than the Philippine one, which occupies the 6th position out of 8 possible. 
"We don't expect anything like this from Eyjafjallajökull. Its eruption level is too low to affect the climate," explained Olav Hija from the Norwegian Institute of Meteorology.
At the same time, it is possible that in the next 12-14 months Northern Europe will observe unusual sunsets of the Sun of intense red color. 
