10 Most Dangerous Volcanoes in the World
Volcanic activity reminds us that the planet on which we live features an ever-changing geology. The volcanoes below are considered especially dangerous due to latest eruptions or due to being included in the Decade Volcanoes list. Maybe now we have a more scientific understanding of volcanic eruptions, but they can still be unpredictable.
List of 10 Most Dangerous Volcanoes in the World:
Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Mauna Loa is the largest volcano in the whole world concerning surface area and volume. Along with five volcanoes, the Mauna Lao makes up the entire Island in Hawaii. The Hawaiian name “Mauna Loa” means “Long Mountain”.
This volcano has been continuously erupting for the past several hundred thousands of years. It recently exploded in 1984. The lava flowing from the volcano is the most significant threat to the surrounding area. But the good thing is that the lava from the Mauna Loa is very slow in advance.
Sakurajima, Japan
Sakurajima is a composite volcano located in Japan. It has a very high level of activity. There are many small level explosions from the peak of this mountain every year which throws up ash all over the surroundings. In case, there is a major explosion, it has a potential to cause deadly damage to the people living in its vicinity. The nearest city to the volcano is the Kagoshima which also features volcanic shelters for the people.
Taal Volcano, Philippines
Taal volcano is second most active volcano in the Philippines with 33 historical eruptions since 1572. It is located on the island of Luzon. Some of the eruptions stayed in the vicinity of the volcano but others caused major havoc to the surrounding region. There have been an estimated number of 500 to 600 thousand people that has been killed because of this volcano. Taal Volcano and Lake presents one of the most picturesque and attractive views in the Philippines.
Galeras, Colombia
This volcano is situated in the Southern part of Columbia. It summit rises 4,276 meters above sea level. There are frequent eruptions in this volcano the latest of which was recorded during 1580. A 1993 eruption killed nine people, including six scientists who had descended into the volcano’s crater to sample gases. The Galeras became dormant in 1978, but it became active again after ten years in 1988. Since 2000, this volcano has been regularly erupting. It is currently the most active volcano in Colombia.
Ulawun, Papua New Guinea
Ulawun is a symmetrical volcano located on New Britain Island. It is the highest mountain in the Bismarck Archipelago at 2,334 meters. It is also considered to be the highest of the 1000 km long chain of the Bismarck Volcano arc that expands from Rabaul volcano in the East to Wewak in the West. It is one of the most active volcanoes in Papua New Guinea.
Several thousand people live near the volcano. Since the 18th century there have been 22 eruptions happen and in the most recent years it has been regularly erupting. The locals get to see kind of small explosions come from this all the time which causes ash and lava ending up in the areas that are around it.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
Mount Vesuvius is located in Campania, Italy. Around 3 million human beings live in the near vicinity of the mount since it is located only 5 miles from Naples. That is why it is the most densely populated volcanic region in the entire world. It possesses a history of activity rendering it as the most dangerous in the world. It last erupted was in 1944; but the most memorable eruption was the massive eruption of 79 AD, when it buried the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. This is the only volcano in Europe that has erupted in the last century.
Mount Merapi, Indonesia
Mount Merapi is known as “Mountain of fire” which is located on the border between Central Java and Indonesia. It has made more lava than any other in the entire world. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. The eruption of 2010 killed many peoples and Hundreds of thousands of residents also became homeless.
Popocatépetl, Mexico
Popocatépetl is located in the states of Puebla, Mexico, and Morelos, in Central Mexico. Its peak is covered with glacier and is located around 35 miles from the Mexico City. There is a vast population residing within the blast radius of this volcano. Since 1519, it has erupted more than 20 times. In 2000 it went erupt and forty one thousand people prevented major catastrophe.
Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo
Mount Nyiragongo is an active volcano located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the most active on the African continent. The main crater is about two km wide and usually contains a lava lake. Nyiragongo’s lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history. From the years 1894 to 1977 the crater was filled up with a large amount of lava. In seventy seven when the walls of the crater cracked, the lava spilled out in an hour which causes huge flows at over sixty miles per hour. It ended up destroying the villages and many thousand people died. Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40% of Africa’s historical volcanic eruptions
Yellowstone Caldera, USA
The Yellowstone Caldera is a volcanic caldera and supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park in the Western United States. Yellowstone Caldera is the dangerous volcano that can wipe out the entire Western part of the US. A super volcano is an eruption of gigantic proportions. Humans have never witnessed this explosion. The last super volcano eruption came about hundreds of thousands of years ago in Yellowstone. It is the first super volcano eruption that is known to mankind occurred more than 2 million years ago. It was 25 thousand times larger in scope than the eruption of St. Helens in 1980. The ash formed due to this eruption was hurled all around the world.
This was our list of 10 Most Dangerous Volcanoes in the World. Have you been to any of these amazing volcanoes? Or would you like to? Let us know below.
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