The most dangerous active volcanoes on Earth
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Many possible doomsday predictions include the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano. But even if it is now promoted beyond measure, there are many volcanoes on Earth that are a time bomb for nearby human settlements.
• And so that your vacation will never be overshadowed by clouds of steam, ash and lava flows, we will tell you about the ten most dangerous volcanoes on Earth, next to which you should definitely not take a selfie.
10. Galeras, Colombia
• Stratovolcano with a large caldera is located west of the city of Pasto, and is one of the most active volcanoes in Colombia. It has been active for over one million years and there is no indication that it will settle down in the 21st century.
• In 1993, the eruption of Galeras killed nine people, including six scientists, and in 2010, 9 (according to other sources – 8) thousand people were evacuated from the area adjacent to the volcano.
9. Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Russia
A selection of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet could not do without a representative of Russia. Klyuchevskaya Sopka is one of the highest volcanoes on earth, and the highest operating on the mainland of Eurasia. It is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and, surprisingly, it is covered with pure snow and ice crusts, which during an eruption can create an interesting contrast with ash and lava flows.
• It can throw out a column of ash reaching a height of 8 kilometers. And it erupts periodically, about once every five years, starting in 1737 (this is only the first of the documented eruptions, and how many there were before that is unknown). The most powerful eruptions occurred in the XNUMXth century.
8. Kilauea, Hawaii
• The name of this volcano is not original, and translated from Hawaiian means “spewing”, “splashing out”. It is believed that it was he who was chosen as a home by the local goddess of volcanoes.
• Kilauea is the most active shield volcano on the island, erupting almost continuously from 1983 to 2018, causing a lot of destruction, as well as strong earthquakes and fires.
• Since 1912, employees of the Hawaiian Volcanic Observatory have been observing the Hawaiian volcanic buoy.
7. Merapi, Indonesia
• Merapi (meaning "mountain of fire") is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and has been erupting for centuries. It is located near the center of the island of Java, about 32 kilometers north of the city of Yogyakarta.
• One of the largest recorded eruptions occurred in 1637 and resulted in the destruction of several cities and villages in Java.
• The biggest risk associated with this volcano is the spread of pyroclastic flows, a mixture of volcanic gases, ash and rock debris that can rush at a speed of 700 km/h. In 2010, 353 people became victims of such a flow.
6. Sakurajima, Japan
• This active stratovolcano was an island in itself until 1914, but lava flows connected it to the Osumi Peninsula.
• Volcanic eruptions have been occurring almost constantly since 1955, posing a serious danger to nearby settlements, the largest of which is the city of Kagoshima (over 600 thousand inhabitants).
• And it is not surprising that because of its danger in 1991, Sakurajima was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.
5. Taal, Philippines
• Living like on a volcano is no longer a relevant expression for the inhabitants of Taal Island, which hosts one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The Philippine authorities have decided to forbid the islanders from returning to the dangerous area, and will provide them with homes away from the volcano.
• Taal woke up from hibernation on January 12 of this year and threw a column of ash to a kilometer high. Because of this, the inhabitants of the province of Batangas had to be urgently evacuated. And since the volcano shows its bad character not for the first time, the authorities decided to protect people from it once and for all.
4. Nyiragongo, Congo
• Together with the neighboring peak Nyamlagila, Nyiragongo provides about 40% of all volcanic activity in Africa.
• A feature of this volcano is an incredibly liquid lava, this is due to the low content of quartz in its composition. Due to its fluid, lava can rush down the slopes at speeds up to 100 kilometers per hour.
3. Colima, Mexico
• The most active Mexican volcano consists of two conical peaks, but only one of them is active.
• From time to time (documented – since 1576) Colima reminds the surrounding inhabitants of its existence, spewing ash, lava and smoke. Once he was able to throw an ash-smoke column to a height of 10 kilometers.
2. Santorini, Greece
• From the "young to early" volcanoes, whose main activity was relatively recent, let's move on to the heavyweight, which was last active around 1645 BC.
• It is the eruption of Santorini and the tsunami that followed it that is considered the cause of the death of the Minoan civilization of Crete (but this is not certain). There is also a hypothesis that the memory of this disaster formed the basis of the legend of Atlantis.
• After that, the Santorini volcano showed only rare episodes of seismic activity, and nothing that looks like an imminent eruption. However, volcanologists are constantly watching him.
1. Vesuvius, Italy
• Which volcano is the most dangerous in the world? The answer to this question depends on your definition of danger. A good indicator is the general volcanic hazard generated by the volcano. And this, in turn, is best described as a combination of the probability of an eruption, the size and possible damage from the activity of the volcano. Supervolcanoes such as Yellowstone, if they explode, will threaten the lives and property of people on a global scale.
• But in a reasonable time frame for our existence, the likelihood of such an explosion is extremely small, and humanity is likely to find other ways to harm itself long before a supervolcano does.
• For this reason, the active volcano Vesuvius ranks first in this ranking. Its slopes and the immediate area around it are extremely densely populated; even the city of Naples is only about 15 km from the volcano. In the event of a major eruption, more than 3 million people could be at risk of death or, at best, the loss of all their belongings.
• Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944 to the present, and may remain dormant for a long time. But there is a hypothesis that he will wake up again, sooner or later (approximate period is from decades to centuries, in contrast to the indefinitely long sleep of supervolcanoes). Currently, the activity of Vesuvius is monitored day and night by the Osservatorio Vesuviano center in Naples.
