It is not exactly known how many active volcanoes there are on Earth, but the figure 500 reflects their most probable number. Approximately 370 of them are located in the Pacific "ring of fire": on island arcs, such as the Aleutian, Kuril,
Japanese, Philippine, Tonga - Kermadec, Sunda (islands of the Indonesian archipelago), or on the so-called active outskirts of the continents - west North America, Mexico, Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala), Andes in the west South America(Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile). 9 active volcanoes are located in Antarctica, 15 - on the islands Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaiian, Galapagos, Juan Fernandez.
Several volcanic islands - Kerguelen, Comoros, Reunion - are located in Indian Ocean. There are about 45 of them in the Atlantic, including Jan Mayen, Iceland, the Canary and Azores, and the Lesser Antilles.
There are two more areas of active volcanism on Earth. One of them is located in Africa, where active volcanoes are known within the East and West African rift zones: in Ethiopia, Kenya (Kilimanjaro volcano), Uganda, Tanzania, and also in Central Africa(Volcano Cameroon). Another area includes the Mediterranean and Asia Minor: the Lipari island arc (volcanoes on the islands of Vulcano, Stromboli), Italy (Vesuvius and others), Sicily (Etna), the Aegean Sea (volcano on the island of Santorini); as well as Eastern Turkey (Nemrut) and Irai (Demavend). There are about 40 active volcanoes in these two areas.
Many volcanoes that are considered extinct may actually be active. Suffice it to recall Vesuvius, which was "silent" for hundreds of years. In addition, there are a lot of underwater volcanoes that are difficult to detect, so there are actually a few more active volcanoes than indicated in the calculations.
There is a strict geological condition in the location of volcanoes on the globe. Thus, in the already mentioned Pacific "ring of fire" all active volcanoes are located on active continental margins and island arcs. This allows you to think that volcanism! is directly associated with a strongly dissected, actively formed relief deep-sea trench, located at some distance from the island arc or continental margin, with earthquakes, the sources of which are located along a plane inclined towards the continent or island arc and are located at a depth of 400-500 km. These zones are called seismofocal zones (i.e., zones of concentration of foci, or sources, of earthquakes) of Benioff in honor of the scientist who studied them in detail.
Active margins are areas of the lithosphere in which the oceanic crust sinks, or, as scientists say, subducts (from the English subduction - “immersion”), under the lighter and more buoyant continental crust, forming an inclined plate. The interaction of a plate of subducting oceanic crust with the continental lithosphere causes melting of the upper mantle at depths of 150-200 km. Melt drops originated here, merging with each other, begin to move upwards. At some higher intermediate levels in earth's crust they form magma chambers, and an eruption directly occurs from the uppermost chamber, as a result of which a volcano appears on the surface.
Volcanic islands in the ocean - for example, the famous Hawaii - arose above a "hot jet" slowly rising from the lower mantle, which has been in the same position for tens of millions of years. The trail from this "hot jet", as if burning through the Pacific plate moving to the west, is expressed by a chain of now extinguished underwater volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands. The age of the most ancient of them is 70 million years. Some active volcanoes arose in the areas of the mid-ocean ridges, for example, volcanoes in Iceland, the islands of Tristan da Cunha, etc.
The emergence of active volcanoes in the Mediterranean is partly due to the same geological situation as in the case of the emergence of volcanoes in the Pacific Ring of Fire. For example, the Cyclades group of islands in the Aegean Sea and the famous volcano of the island of Santorini arose when the earth's crust of the Eastern Mediterranean was pushed northward, under the island of Crete.
Thus, the distribution of volcanoes on Earth is well explained by the modern geological theory of lithospheric plate tectonics.
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:
- acting;
- 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 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. average speed 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.
Volcanic eruptions are dangerous primarily due to their direct impact - the release of tons of burning lava, under which entire cities can die. But, in addition to this, such side factors as the suffocating effect of volcanic gases, the threat of tsunamis, isolation from sunlight, distortion of the terrain and local climatic changes are also dangerous.
Merapi, Indonesia
Merapi is one of the largest volcanoes on the islands of Indonesia. He is one of the most active: large eruptions occur once every seven to eight years, and small ones - once every two years. At the same time, smoke from the top of the volcano appears almost daily, preventing the locals from forgetting about the threat. Merapi is also famous for the fact that in 1006 the whole medieval Javanese-Indian state of Mataram was seriously affected by his activities. The special danger of the volcano is that it is located near the large Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, which is home to about 400 thousand people.
Sakurajima, Japan
Sakurajima is in constant volcanic activity since 1955, and the last eruption took place in early 2009. Until 1914, the volcano was located on a separate island of the same name, but frozen lava flows connected the island with the Osumi Peninsula. Residents of Kagoshima City have become accustomed to the erratic behavior of the volcano and are constantly ready to take refuge in shelters.
Aso Volcano, Japan
Last time Volcanic activity of the volcano was recorded as recently as 2011. Then the ash cloud spread over a territory of more than 100 km. From that time to the present, about 2,500 tremors have been recorded, which indicates the activity of the volcano and its readiness for an eruption. Despite the direct danger, about 50 thousand people live in the immediate vicinity of it, and the crater is a popular tourist attraction for daredevils. In winter, the slopes are covered with snow and people go skiing and tobogganing in the valley.
Popocatepetl, Mexico
One of the largest volcanoes in Mexico is located literally fifty kilometers from. This is a city with a population of 20 million people who are in constant readiness for evacuation. In addition to Mexico City, there are such big cities like Puebla and Tlaxcala de Jicotencatl. Popocatepetl also gives them a reason to be nervous: emissions of gas, sulfur, dust and stones occur literally every month. Behind recent decades the volcano erupted in 2000, 2005 and 2012. Many climbers strive to climb to its summit. Popocatepetl is famous for being conquered by Ernesto Che Guevara in 1955.
Etna, Italy
This Sicilian volcano is interesting in that it has not only one main wide crater, but also many small craters on the slopes. Etna is in constant activity, and small eruptions occur at intervals of several months. This does not prevent the Sicilians from densely populating the slopes of the volcano, since the presence of minerals and trace elements makes the soil very fertile. The last major eruption was in May 2011, and small ash and dust emissions were in April 2013. By the way, Etna is the largest volcano in: it is two and a half times larger than Vesuvius.
Vesuvius, Italy
Vesuvius is one of three active volcanoes in Italy along with Etna and Stromboli. They are even jokingly called the "hot Italian family." In 79, the eruption of Vesuvius destroyed the city of Pompeii with all the inhabitants who were buried under layers of lava, pumice and mud. During one of the last strong eruptions, which occurred in 1944, about 60 people died and the nearby cities of San Sebastiano and Massa were almost completely destroyed. According to scientists, Vesuvius destroyed nearby cities about 80 times! By the way, this volcano has set many records. Firstly, this is the only active volcano in the mainland, secondly, it is the most studied and predictable, and thirdly, the territory of the volcano is a nature reserve and a national park where excursions are held. You can only go up on foot, as the lift and funicular have not yet been restored.
Colima, Mexico
The volcanic mountain consists of two peaks: the already extinct Nevado de Colima, which is covered with snow most of the time, and the active volcano Colima. Colima is particularly active: since 1576, it has erupted more than 40 times. A strong eruption happened in the summer of 2005, when the authorities had to evacuate people from nearby villages. Then a column of ash was thrown to a height of about 5 km, spreading a cloud of smoke and dust behind it. Now the volcano is fraught with danger not only for local residents, but for the whole country.
Mauna Loa, Hawaii, USA
Scientists have been observing the volcano since 1912 - there is a volcanological station on its slopes, as well as solar and atmospheric observatories. The height of the volcano reaches 4169 m. The last strong eruption of Mauna Loa destroyed several villages in 1950. Until 2002, the seismic activity of the volcano was low, until its increase was recorded, which indicates the possibility of eruptions in the near future.
Galeras, Colombia
The Galeras volcano is very powerful: its diameter at the base exceeds 20 km, and the width of the crater is about 320 m. The volcano is very dangerous - every few years, due to its activity, the population of the nearby town of Pasto has to be evacuated. The last such evacuation took place in 2010, when about 9 thousand people found themselves in shelters due to the threat of a strong eruption. Thus, the restless Galeras keeps the locals in constant tension.
Nyiragongo, Republic of the Congo
Volcano Nyiragongo is considered the most dangerous in all: it accounts for about half of all cases of volcanic activity recorded on the continent. There have been 34 eruptions since 1882. Lava Nyiragongo has a special chemical composition, therefore it is unusually liquid and fluid. The speed of erupting lava can reach 100 km/h. There is a lava lake in the main crater of the volcano, the temperature of which heats up to 982 Cº, and bursts reach a height of 7 to 30 m. The last largest eruption occurred in 2002, when 147 people died, 14 thousand buildings were destroyed, and 350 thousand people left homeless.
It is worth noting that scientists have been studying the activity of volcanoes for many years and modern technology recognizes the beginning of their seismic activity. Many volcanoes are equipped with webcams, with the help of which you can follow what is happening in real time. People living nearby are already accustomed to this behavior of volcanoes and know what to do when an eruption begins, and emergency services have the means to evacuate local residents. So every year the probability of victims from volcanic eruptions becomes less and less.
The map of volcanoes shows the most dangerous volcanoes of the Earth, which are currently being closely monitored. The following is a description of them with a forecast of possible activity and its consequences. Additionally, volcanoes are marked with a red ring, the eruption of which can have catastrophic consequences for the whole world.
Vesuvius (Italy)
The proximity to Naples (15 km) makes this volcano deadly for more than three million Italians. He begins his sad glory from the year 79, when the cities of Herculaneum, Stabiae and Pompeii were destroyed during the eruption. Eruptions alternate with fairly long periods of calm. During the XVII - XX centuries. Vesuvius erupted with a period of 30-60 years. The last eruption was recorded in 1944. Scientists are unanimous in their opinion that the “killer of Pompeii” will wake up one day, only the timing and strength of the eruption remain unclear. But it does not seem to bother the frivolous Neapolitans at all.
Galeras (Colombia)
Located near the city of Pasto. The most active volcano in the region. Its activity began about 5 thousand years ago and does not subside to this day. Dangerous eruptions were noted in 2008, 2009, 2010, and every time thousands of people living nearby had to be evacuated.
Galunggung (Indonesia)
Located on the western tip of the island of Java. Its eruptions are characterized by high power. In 1822, he claimed the lives of 4,000 people, and in 1982 forced the country's authorities to evacuate about 35,000 inhabitants. It last erupted in 1990. It is included in the list of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet.
Yellowstone Volcano (USA)
It is located in the state of Wyoming, and, fortunately, it is calm today. It has been active several times over the past 2 million years, and its last eruption was over half a million years ago. The next eruption is expected not earlier than in several tens of thousands of years. This volcano is so huge that if it awakens, the United States will be almost completely destroyed, and the Earth will be covered with an impenetrable veil of volcanic ash for a long time.
Katla (Iceland)
Located in the very south of Iceland. Over the past thousand years, according to various sources, it erupted from 14 to 16 times and caused significant melting of glaciers, which led to the flooding of nearby settlements. It is located near the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which recently erupted and blocked air traffic in Europe. Experts believe that the eruptions of the latter are the starting mechanism for the awakening of the Katla volcano, the destructive potential of which is much greater. The findings are also supported by the fact that recent times in the depths of the volcano, the level of magma rose noticeably. In this regard, an eruption is expected, in terms of power many times greater than the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. If it happens, the consequences can be catastrophic for the entire planet - in addition to the formation of a huge cloud of volcanic ash, there will be melting of glaciers and extensive flooding.
Colima (Mexico)
Located in the state of Jalisco in western Mexico. The last major eruption, accompanied by the evacuation of the local population, was recorded in 2005. last years The activity of the Colima volcano is increasing. It is also called the "Mexican Vesuvius".
Koryakskaya Sopka (Russian Federation)
Located 35 km. North of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. There were powerful eruptions before our era, as well as in 1895 and 1956. May pose a threat to the population of Kamchatka. It belongs to the most dangerous volcanoes in the world and is under the close supervision of specialists.
Cumbre Vieja (Canary Islands)
Located on the island of Palma, which is part of the Canary Islands. As a result of numerous volcanic eruptions, the coast of the island has undergone significant erosion. One of the slopes of Cumbre Vieja is unstable and may collapse as a result of a powerful eruption or a series of small eruptions. The fall of a rock weighing 500 billion tons into the ocean will lead to the formation of a tsunami that will destroy almost the entire east coast of the United States and cause intractable damage to the countries of the Caribbean. Fortunately, the volcano has not yet shown alarming activity, and the danger of a supertsunami is still hypothetical.
Mauna Loa (USA)
Located on the island of Hawaii. It is the largest volcano on the planet in terms of volume (80,000 cubic kilometers). The nearby Kilaue volcano is considered one of the most beautiful volcanoes on Earth.
Merapi (Indonesia)
The largest active volcano in Indonesia and one of the youngest in Java. It erupts about twice a year, and once every seven years the eruption is quite strong. It is a great danger to nearby settlements. In 1673 he destroyed several cities, in 1930 he caused the death of 1300 people, in 1974-75. destroyed three villages.
Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia)
Located in the departments of Tolima and Caldas. The largest active volcano in the Andes. Remains active for about two million years. In 1985, its eruption caused the death of more than 20,000 people. The upcoming eruption was announced in advance, but no one heeded the warning due to several false alarms the previous day.
Niragongo (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Located in the Virunga mountains on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. most active and dangerous volcano Africa. Although Niragongo is currently relatively calm, his awakening could be disastrous. Its potential is huge, and in the event of an eruption under the shadow of volcanic ash, not only Africa, but also Europe and partly Asia can be for a long time.
Pinatubo (Philippines)
Located on the island of Luzon, almost 100 km. From Manila. Until 1991, it was considered extinct. Its awakening was unexpected and swift - during the eruption in 1991. It was destroyed military base US Air Force and killed about 1,000 people. The main danger of this volcano is a large-scale emission of volcanic ash. Within a few days of the 1991 eruption, about 10 cubic kilometers of rocks entered the atmosphere. Then, for several months, the Earth's stratosphere was filled with sulfuric acid aerosol, which led to the formation of a gigantic ozone hole over Antarctica and a temperature drop of 0.5 degrees Celsius.
Popocatepetl (Mexico)
Located near Mexico City. For the entire time of the presence of Europeans in America, he showed a rather weak activity, but in recent years he has become more active. Represents a huge potential danger due to the proximity of a twenty-million metropolis.
Rainier (USA)
It is located 85 kilometers southeast of the city of Seattle. The last eruption was a century and a half ago, but recently the volcano has become more active. In the event of an eruption, the lives of about 200,000 people will be at risk.
Sakurajima (Japan)
Located in Kagoshima Prefecture on the island (originally) Sakurajima. As a result of the 1914 eruption, the strait was filled with lava, and Sakurajima became a peninsula. The location near the city of Kagoshima with almost a million inhabitants makes this volcano one of the most dangerous on the planet. Probably for the same reason it is called "Eastern Vesuvius". Monitoring it and predicting its activity is one of the main tasks of Japanese geologists.
Santa Maria (Guatemala)
Located near the city of Quetzaltenango. A young and large volcano, the activity of which has been growing lately. strong eruption happened in 1902, and caused the death of 6,000 people. The roar of the explosion was heard at a distance of 800 km.
Tambora (Indonesia)
Located on the island of Sumbawa. Known for the fact that its eruption in the spring of 1815 was the largest in the last few thousand years, both in terms of the number of erupted rocks and the number of victims. As a result of the eruption, 140 billion tons were released into the atmosphere solids and 10,000 people died immediately. The total number of deaths eventually reached 100,000. In fact, this volcano destroyed the developed and ancient Tambora culture that existed on the island. The ejected ash plunged an area of more than 500 km into complete darkness for three days. from the site of the eruption. But the consequences extended much further. In Europe and America in 1816, an extremely low temperature, and the snow melted only in summer, which is why the year was called "the year without summer." Naturally, this led to crop failures and numerous starvation deaths around the world.
Ulavun (Papua New Guinea)
Located in the eastern part of the island of New Britain. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, it is one of the most frequently erupting, which, in fact, is remarkable. Known as an active volcano since 1700. In 1937, during the eruption, it practically covered the capital of the country, located at a distance of more than 100 km, with ashes.
Unzen (Japan)
Located on the Shimabara Peninsula in southwestern Kyushu. Currently, it is weakly active and belongs to the most dangerous, rather because of its history. Its eruption in 1792 is among the most destructive eruptions in the world. The 23 m high tsunami generated by him claimed the lives of about 15,000 people.
Etna (Italy)
Located on the eastern tip of the island of Sicily. The most active and highest volcano in Europe. regurgitates not a large number of lava about four times a year and, on average, completely destroys one or more nearby settlements once every one and a half centuries. The danger is the tendency of local residents to settle close to Etna due to the extreme fertility of the soil formed as a result of constant eruptions. Numerous lovers of high yields run the risk of suddenly dying one day.
One of the most amazing and mysterious geological formations on Earth are volcanoes. However, many of us have only a superficial understanding of them. What is the nature of volcanism? Where and how does a volcano form?
How is a volcanic eruption formed?
How and why the processes are hidden in the bowels of the Earth. In the process of magma accumulation, a large amount of thermal energy is generated. The temperature of the magma is quite high, but it is not able to melt because the crust presses on it from above. If the layers of the earth's crust put less pressure on the magma, the red-hot magma becomes liquid. It is gradually saturated with gases, melts rocks on its way and in this way makes its way to the surface of the earth.
If the volcanic vent is already filled with solidified and hardened lava, then the eruption will not occur until the magnitude of the magma pressure is sufficient to push out this plug. always accompanied by an earthquake. Ashes can be thrown to a height of up to several tens of kilometers.
Volcanoes are mountain-shaped formations from which hot magma erupts. How is a volcano formed? In the presence of cracks in the earth's crust, red-hot magma erupts to its surface under pressure. The slopes of the volcano are formed as a result of subsidence of rocks, lava, ash near the vent.
