Top Ten Volcanoes

Mount Vesuvius is one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes. Mount Vesuvius has erupted many times. The famous eruption in AD 79 was preceded by numerous others in prehistory, including at least three significantly larger ones, the best known being the Avellino eruption around 1800 BC which engulfed several Bronze Age settlements.

The eruption of Krakatoa, or Krakatau, in August 1883 was one of the most deadly volcanic eruptions of modern history. It is estimated that more than 36,000 people died. Many died as a result of thermal injury from the blasts and many more were victims of the tsunamis that followed the collapse of the volcano into the caldera below sea level.

Kīlauea is the youngest and southeastern most volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i. Topographically Kīlauea appears as only a bulge on the southeastern flank of Mauna Loa, and so for many years Kīlauea was thought to be a mere satellite of its giant neighbor, not a separate volcano.

Mount St. Helens, on the other hand, is a composite volcano, or stratovolcano, "a term for steep-sided, often symmetrical cones constructed of alternating layers of lava flows, ash, and other volcanic debris," the USGS explained in a post online.

Mount Pinatubo and the other volcanoes on this volcanic belt arise due to magmatic occlusion from this subduction plate boundary. Pinatubo is flanked on the west by the Zambales Ophiolite Complex, which is an easterly-dipping section of Eocene oceanic crust uplifted during the late Oligocene.

Mount Etna is one of the world’s most active volcanoes and is in an almost constant state of activity. The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south.

Mauna Loa is among Earth's most active volcanoes, having erupted 33 times since its first well-documented historical eruption in 1843. It has produced large, voluminous flows of basalt that have reached the ocean eight times since 1868.

Mount Tambora is on Sumbawa island, part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. It is a segment of the Sunda Arc, a string of volcanic islands that make up the southern chain of the Indonesian archipelago. Tambora forms its own peninsula on Sumbawa, known as the Sanggar peninsula.

What makes the Yellowstone supervolcano especially dangerous is the fact that it’s not actually a volcano but rather a caldera. Unlike the classic cone-shaped volcanos we normally model our childhood science projects on, calderas are actually inverse volcanoes, looking more like crater-shaped, sunken volcanos.

The latter eruption continued intermittently for nearly 14 months. In all three cases the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano occurred simultaneously with or was shortly followed by the eruption of Katla, a volcano located some 15.5 miles (25 km) to the east.

Volcán Popocatépetl, whose name is the Aztec word for smoking mountain, towers to 5426 m 70 km SE of Mexico City to form North America's 2nd-highest volcano. The glacier-clad stratovolcano contains a steep-walled, 250-450 m deep crater.

Mayon (Central Bicolano: Bulkan Mayon, Filipino: Bulkang Mayon, Spanish: Monte Mayón), also known as Mayon Volcano or Mount Mayon, is an active stratovolcano in the province of Albay in Bicol Region, on the large island of Luzon in the Philippines.

Mount Fuji (Fuji-san, 富士山 in Japanese) is the highest volcano and highest peak in Japan and considered one of the 3 Holy Mountains (along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku). Fuji is a perfect, beautiful stratovolcano about 60 miles south-west of Tokyo, with an exceptionally symmetrical shape making it into famous symbol of Japan and an important element in Japanese art.

Mount Pelée is the result of a typical subduction zone. The subduction formed the Lesser Antilles island arc, a curved chain of volcanoes approximately 850 kilometres (530 mi) in length, between Puerto Rico and Venezuela, where the Caribbean Plate meets Atlantic oceanic crust belonging to the South American Plate.

With 87 known eruptions, Cotopaxi is one of Ecuador's most active volcanoes. The first recorded eruption of Cotopaxi was in 1534. Cotopaxi's most violent eruptions in historical times occurred in the years 1742, 1744, 1768, and 1877. The 1744 and 1768 events destroyed the colonial town of Latacunga.

Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian and Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548.

Sakurajima (also spelled Sakurashima or Sakura-jima, 桜島 in Japanese) volcano in southern Kyushu is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and one of the few that are at present in constant (persistant) activity.

Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 metres (11,380 ft) in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift. It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 20 km (12 mi) north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu and just west of the border with Rwanda.

Nevado del Ruiz volcano in central Colombia, 130 km WNW of Bogota, is a broad, glacier covered volcano. A relatively small eruption in 1985 caused a devastating mud flow that killed almost 25,000 people in the town of Armero, marking one of the worst volcanic disasters in history.

In 1963, when Mount Agung last erupted, global temperatures dropped by between 0.1C and 0.4C. And in 1991 the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines created a significant dip in global temperatures of about 0.5C. That might not sound like much, but Ubide explains that it can have a “significant impact”.

Mt. Bromo volcano in East Java is the active cone inside the giant Tengger caldera, one of Indonesia's most scenic locations destination in East Java, ...

Mount Rainier is an episodically active composite volcano, also called a stratovolcano. Volcanic activity began between one half and one million years ago, with the most recent eruption cycle ending about 1,000 years ago.

Santa Maria Volcano: Introduction. Santa María, a stratovolcano in the southwestern Guatemalan volcanic highlands, is the site of one of the twentieth century's largest eruptions. It is also the home of Santiaguito, one of the most active lava dome complexes in the world.

Kelud (Klut, Cloot, Kloet, Kloete, Keloed or Kelut) is an active stratovolcano located in East Java, Indonesia. Like many Indonesian volcanoes and others on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Kelud is known for large explosive eruptions throughout its history.

Taal Volcano (Filipino: Bulkang Taal) is a complex volcano located on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the second most active volcano in the Philippines with 33 historical eruptions. All of these eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Galeras Volcano: Introduction. Galeras, a stratovolcano in the southwestern part of Colombia, is one of the South American country's most active volcanoes. Historic records of eruptions at Galeras date back to the 16th century, and the active cone is part of a volcanic complex that has been erupting for more than one million years.

Arenal Volcano: Introduction. Arenal Volcano, the youngest stratovolcano in Costa Rica, is one of the most active volcanoes in that country and in the world.

Mount Sinabung is a Pleistocene-to-Holocene stratovolcano. It is located in a relatively cool area on a fertile plateau with mountains bounding the north. The summit crater of the volcano has a complex, longer form due to vents migrating on the N-S line.

Campi Flegrei (Phlegrean Fields) Volcano, Italy - facts & information / VolcanoDiscovery / VolcanoDiscovery

Yasur is the most well known volcanoes of Vanuatu and one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Yasur is known for its spectacular persistent strombolian activity that consists of regular small to violent explosions from one or several vents.

Mount Aso (阿蘇山, Aso-san) is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu. Its peak is 1,592 metres (5,223 ft) above sea level. Mt.

Katla is one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland. It is situated to the north of Vík í Mýrdal and to the east of the smaller glacier Eyjafjallajökull. Its peak reaches 1,512 metres (4,961 ft) and is partially covered by the Mýrdalsjökull glacier.

Piton de la Fournaise : "Peak of the Furnace" is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French department) in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands (Pacific Ocean), Stromboli, Etna and Mount Erebus in Antarctica.

Semeru is one of many volcanoes in the area Graphic courtesy of Darwin VAAC. The eruptions are commonly moderate to moderately large (VEI=2-3) and some of the eruptions produced pyroclastic flows and/or lava flows.

Pacaya volcano near Guatemala City is one of Guatemala's most active volcanoes, and its frequent eruptions are often visible from Guatemala City. Typical activity in recent years includes strombolian activity, lava flow emission and intermittend violent phases of lava fountaining.

Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano reaching an elevation of 19,335.6 ft. (5,895 m). Other names for this volcano are: Kilima Dscharo, Oldoinyo Oibor (white mountain in Masai), and Kilima Njaro meaning shining mountain in Swahili. This volcano's highest and youngest cone is named Kibo.

Paektu Mountain's VEI 7 eruption in 946 (also known as the "Millennium eruption" or "Tianchi eruption") was one of the largest and most violent eruptions in the last 5,000 years, comparable to the 180 AD eruption of Lake Taupo and the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora.

The Soufrière Hills volcano is an active, complex stratovolcano with many lava domes forming its summit, on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Many volcanoes in the Caribbean are named Soufrière (French: "sulphur outlet"). These include La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent on the island of Saint Vincent and La Grande Soufrière on Guadeloupe.

Novarupta (meaning "newly erupted" in Latin) is a volcano that was formed in 1912, located on the Alaska Peninsula in Katmai National Park and Preserve, about 290 miles (470 km) southwest of Anchorage.

Ruapehu is one of New Zealand's most active volcanoes and forms the highest peak of the North Island. The andesitic stratovolcano has an age of around 200,000 years and contains a large summit crater containing a lake.

Huaynaputina volcano (its name meaning "new volcano") is a small volcano located in southern Peru 26 km south of Ubinas volcano. It was the site of the largest historical eruption in South America, which occurred in 1600 and erupted an estimated 30 cubic km of dacitic tephra, including ash fall and pyroclastic flow deposits.

Paricutin volcano, also known as 'Volcan de Paricutin' is located in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. It is famous because it is the youngest volcano to form in the Northern Hemisphere, developing in a farmer's cornfield.

Mauna Kea is considered to be a dormant shield volcano in what is commonly known as the "post-shield" stage. Submarine eruptions began to build Mauna kea from the sea floor around ~0.8 million years ago. The basaltic shield stage of volcanism began by at least 0.3 million years ago.

Slope failure: Ulawun volcano, along with its neighbor Bamus, is 400 m higher than most of the volcanoes in the Bismarck. This could indicate that the edifice is at the limit of structural stability. Consequently, massive slope failure is a major hazard at Ulawun volcano, which could threaten hundreds of square km of surrounding land.

El Chichón is part of a geologic zone known as the Chiapanecan Volcanic Arc. El Chichón is a complex of domes with a tuff ring, made of ejected volcanic material, located between the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Central America Volcanic Arc.

This is the largest volume of lava in the past five centuries to erupt from the volcano's east rift ... Lava from the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cinder cone has flowed 14 miles ...

Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in Cameroon near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its native name Mongo ma Ndemi ("Mountain of Greatness").

Indonesia's Kawah Ijen Volcano, on the island of Java, has two of the most unusual occurrences on Earth. The first is an active solfatara that emits hot, flammable sulfurous gases. These ignite as they enter Earth's oxygen-rich atmosphere and burn with an electric blue flame.

Snow-covered Villarrica, one of Chile's most active volcanoes, rises above the lake and town of the same name. It erupts basaltic lava and is one of the few permanently active volcanoes in the world, with frequent strombolian activity and sometimes a small lava lake present in its summit crater.

Teide Volcano Mount Teide is the third highest volcanic structure and most voluminous in the world after Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. It is the highest peak on the Canary Islands and in the whole of Spain.

The Volcán de Colima, 3,820 m (12,533 ft), also known as Volcán de Fuego, is part of the Colima Volcanic Complex (CVC) consisting of Volcán de Colima, Nevado de Colima (Spanish pronunciation: [neˈβaðo ðe koˈlima] ( listen)) and the eroded El Cantaro (listed as extinct).