The largest volcanoes in the world - list, description, height, photo and video. The most dangerous volcano in the world: name, description, location and interesting facts Where are the largest volcanoes

Located on the south side of the Indonesian island of Java, the famous and rather young Merapi volcano is one of the largest and most powerful in the world. Merapi is the most active active volcano in Indonesia. It is located near the city of Yogyakarta. The height of the volcano is 2914 meters.

The name translates as "mountain of fire". Merapi is the youngest in the group of volcanoes in south Java. It is located in a subduction zone where the Australian Plate is subducting under the Eurasian Plate. It is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, part of the volcano is located in the southeastern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - on a fault line stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

Large eruptions of the Merapi volcano are observed on average every 7 years, small ones - about twice a year, and the volcano smokes almost every day. In 1006, an eruption destroyed the Javanese-Indian kingdom of Mataram. One of the most destructive eruptions was recorded in 1673, when several cities and many villages at the foot of the volcano were destroyed. In the 19th century, 9 eruptions were recorded, in the first half of the 20th century - 13.

A large eruption of Merapi took place in 1906. It was characterized by the destruction of the cone of the volcano itself. The explosion, which broke the integrity of the shell, was heard for hundreds of kilometers. In 1930, about 1300 people died during the eruption. During the eruption in 1974, two villages were destroyed, and in 1975 - a large village and five bridges, 29 people died.

In 2010, 350,000 people were evacuated during the Merapi eruption, but some returned - as a result, 353 people died, caught in a pyroclastic flow.

Today there are about 600 active volcanoes and up to 1000 extinct ones. In addition, about 10,000 more hide under water. Most of them are located at the junctions of tectonic plates. About 100 volcanoes are concentrated around Indonesia, in the territory of the western American states there are about 10 of them, the accumulation of volcanoes is also noted in the area of ​​Japan, the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. But they are all nothing compared to the one megavolcano that scientists fear the most.

The most dangerous volcanoes

This or that danger is represented by any of the existing volcanoes, even sleeping. Not a single volcanologist or geomorphologist undertakes to determine which of them is the most dangerous, since it is impossible to accurately predict the time and strength of the eruption of any of them. The name "the most dangerous volcano in the world" is simultaneously claimed by the Roman Vesuvius and Etna, the Mexican Popocatepetl, the Japanese Sakurajima, the Colombian Galeras, located in the Congo Nyiragongo, in Guatemala - Santa Maria, in Hawaii - Manua Loa and others.

If the danger of a volcano is judged by the expected damage that it can cause, then it would be wise to turn to history describing the consequences of the most dangerous volcanic eruptions in the world in the past. For example, the well-known Vesuvius carried away in 79 AD. e. up to 10 thousand lives and wiped off the face of the Earth two major cities. The Krakatoa eruption in 1883, which was 200,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, echoed across the Earth and took the lives of 36,000 islanders.

The eruption in 1783 of a volcano called Laki led to the fact that a huge part of the livestock and food stocks was destroyed, due to which 20% of the population of Iceland died of starvation. The following year, because of Lucky, became a poor harvest for the whole of Europe. All this shows what large-scale consequences can turn out for people.

Destructive supervolcanoes

But did you know that all the biggest dangerous nothing compared to the so-called supervolcanoes, the eruption of each of which thousands of years ago brought truly catastrophic consequences for the entire Earth and changed the climate on the planet? The eruptions of such volcanoes could have a force of 8 points, and ash with a volume of at least 1000 m 3 was thrown to a height of at least 25 km. This led to prolonged sulfuric precipitation, the absence of sunlight for many months, and the covering of vast areas of the earth's surface with huge layers of ash.

Supervolcanoes are distinguished by the fact that at the site of the eruption they do not have a crater, but a caldera. This cirque-shaped hollow with a relatively flat bottom is formed as a result of the fact that after a series of strong explosions with the release of smoke, ash and magma, the upper part of the mountain collapses.

The most dangerous supervolcano

Scientists are aware of the existence of approximately 20 supervolcanoes. On the site of one of these awesome giants is today Lake Taupa in New Zealand, another supervolcano is hidden under the one located on the Long Valley in California, Wallis in New Mexico and Ira in Japan.

But the most dangerous volcano in the world is the Yellowstone supervolcano, located on the territory of the western American states, which is the most “ripe” for an eruption. It is he who makes volcanologists and geomorphologists in the United States, and indeed the whole world, live in a state of growing fear, forcing them to forget about all the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world.

Location and size of Yellowstone

The Yellowstone Caldera is located in the northwestern United States, in the state of Wyoming. She was first noticed by satellite in 1960. The caldera, whose dimensions are approximately 55 * 72 km, is part of the world famous Yellowstone national park. A third of the almost 900,000 hectares of parkland is located on the territory of the volcano's caldera.

To this day, a giant magma bubble with a depth of about 8,000 m rests under the Yellowstone crater. The temperature of the magma inside it approaches 1000 0 C. Due to this, a lot of hot springs rage in the Yellowstone Park, clouds of steam and gas mixtures rise from cracks in the earth's crust.

Also there are many geysers and mud pots. The reason for this was a vertical stream of solid rock heated to a temperature of 1600 0 C 660 km wide. Under the territory of the park at a depth of 8-16 km there are two branches of this stream.

Yellowstone eruptions in the past

The first eruption of Yellowstone, which occurred, according to scientists, more than 2 million years ago, was the largest catastrophe on Earth in its entire history. Then, according to the assumption of volcanologists, about 2.5 thousand km 3 of rock were thrown into the atmosphere, and the upper mark reached by these emissions was 50 km above the earth's surface.

The largest and most dangerous volcano in the world began a second eruption more than 1.2 million years ago. Then the volume of emissions was approximately 10 times less. The third eruption occurred 640 thousand years ago. It was then that the walls of the crater collapsed and the caldera that exists today was formed.

Why You Should Be Afraid of the Yellowstone Caldera Today

In light of recent changes in the territory of Yellowstone National Park, it is becoming clearer to scientists which volcano is the most dangerous in the world. What is going on there? Scientists were alerted by the following changes, which were especially intensified in the 2000s:

• In the 6 years leading up to 2013, the ground covering the caldera has risen by as much as 2 meters, while in the previous 20 years the rise was only 10 cm.
• New hot geysers bubbled up from underground.
• The frequency and strength of earthquakes in the area of ​​the Yellowstone caldera is increasing. In 2014 alone, scientists recorded about 2,000 of them.
• In some places, underground gases make their way through the layers of the earth to the surface.
• The water temperature in the rivers has risen by several degrees.

This frightening news alarmed the public, and especially the inhabitants of the North American continent. Many scientists agree that the supervolcano will erupt in this century.

Consequences of the eruption for America

No wonder many volcanologists believe that the Yellowstone Caldera is the most dangerous volcano in the world. They assume that its next eruption will be as powerful as the previous ones. Scientists equate it to the explosion of a thousand atomic bombs. This means that within a radius of 160 km around the epicenter, everything will be completely destroyed. The territory covered with ash, stretching for 1600 km around, will turn into a "dead zone".

The eruption of Yellowstone can lead to eruptions of other volcanoes and the formation of powerful tsunamis. There will be a state of emergency for the United States and martial law will be introduced. Information comes from various sources that America is preparing for a disaster: building shelters, making more than a million plastic coffins, drawing up an evacuation plan, drawing up agreements with countries on other continents. AT recent times about the true state of affairs on the Yellowstone caldera, the United States prefers to remain silent.

Yellowstone Caldera and the End of the World

The eruption of the caldera, located under the Yellowstone Park, will bring trouble not only to America. The picture that can unfold in this case looks sad for the whole world. Scientists have calculated that if the release to a height of 50 km lasts only two days, then the “cloud of death” during this time will cover an area twice as large as the entire American continent.

In a week, emissions will reach India and Australia. The sun's rays will drown in thick volcanic smoke and a long one and a half year (at least) winter will come to Earth. average temperature air on Earth will drop to -25 0 C, and in some places it will reach -50 o. People will die under debris falling from the sky from red-hot lava, from cold, hunger, thirst and inability to breathe. According to assumptions, only one person in a thousand will survive.

The eruption of the Yellowstone caldera can, if not completely destroy life on earth, then radically change the conditions for the existence of all life. No one can say for sure whether this most dangerous volcano in the world will begin its eruption in our lifetime, but the existing fears are really justified.

Volcanoes have always evoked a lot of emotions in a person - from panic horror and fear to admiration and admiration for the incredible power of nature. Volcanic peaks are located almost all over the planet and regularly make themselves felt, spewing tons of ash into the air. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the rating of the top 10 highest active volcanoes, each of which is distinguished by its grandeur and unpredictability.

10. Cameroon (Fako), 4100 meters

Fako is the highest point of Cameroon, an active volcano. The last major eruption was recorded in 2000. Richard Francis Burton - the first European to conquer a volcano. This happened in 1895.

9. Mauna Loa, 4169 meters

The highest active volcano in the Hawaiian Islands. It belongs to the shield volcanoes, has fairly gentle slopes with a weakly expressed flat top.

greatness and extraordinary beauty mountains leave few people indifferent. Sometimes snow-covered ridges inspire fear, sometimes they fascinate, inspire, beckon...

8. Klyuchevskaya Sopka, 4835 meters

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is the highest active volcano on the Eurasian continent, located in Kamchatka. This is a fairly active volcano, eruptions occur here almost every two years. In this regard, the height of Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a variable value.

7. Sangay, 5230 meters

It is located in Ecuador, on the territory of the park of the same name, it is part of the Andes mountain system. The toponym is translated from Indian as "to scare", and this is not surprising - Sangai is one of the most restless volcanoes on the continent. Sangai has three huge craters, which is not typical for andesitic stratovolcanoes. According to researchers, the volcano was formed about 14 thousand years ago. Since 1934, Sangai has erupted regularly, last time the maximum peak of activity was recorded in 2016. Rare representatives of the fauna are found around the volcano: ocelots, cougars, tapirs, Andean bears and porcupines.

6. Popocatepetl, 5426 meters

It is an active volcano located in Mexico, part of the Cordillera mountain system. Translated from the local language - "smoking hill" and is located next to another volcano - Istaxihuatl. The most famous ancient literary work is written about these peaks - the legend of Popocatepetl and Istaxihuatl. The first ascent was made in 1519 by Diego de Ordaz.

5. Orizaba, 5636 meters

The second name is Sitlaltepetl, which means "star-mountain" in translation. Orizaba is the highest peak in Mexico and is located in mountain system Cordillera. Geographically, the volcano is located on the territory of two states - Puebla and Veracruz. The stratovolcano is now relatively dormant, and last erupted in 1846. In total, 27 periods of activity were recorded, including those in the middle of the 16th and 17th centuries. Orizaba has always been for the Incas sacred mountain with which many legends and myths were associated. Since 1936, a reserve has been created on the volcano in order to protect Orizaba from unauthorized ascents. Every year hundreds of climbers come here, for whom many routes of varying degrees of difficulty have been laid. Most favorable time to climb to the top is the period from mid-autumn to early spring.

4. Misty, 5822 meters

Located in South America, territorially belongs to Peru, in the winter months it is almost completely covered with snow. 17 km from the stratovolcano is the small town of Arequipa, with a population of more than 1 million people. In the country locality known as " White City» due to the fact that most of the buildings were built from snow-white deposits of volcanic origin. The Chile River flows past Misty, and another volcano, Pichu Pichu, is located south of the summit. The last eruption was recorded in 1985, in just a century, activity was manifested 5 times. In the 16th century, the inhabitants of Arequipa had to leave the city due to an extremely strong eruption, with huge ash emissions. At the end of the 20th century, mummified remains of the ancient Incas and a number of valuable artifacts were discovered on the slopes of El Misti. All found bodies and household items are stored today in the Museum of Andean Sanctuaries.

South America is something unattainable and exotic for us. A lot of literary works have been written about these places, a huge amount has been filmed ...

3. Cotopaxi, 5897 meters

The toponym is translated from the Quechua language as "brilliant mountain". Cotopaxi is located in South America, on the territory of Ecuador and is the second highest peak in the country. The volcano belongs to the Eastern Cordillera, has a crater measuring 550 by 800 meters, almost half a kilometer deep. For the period from 1738 to the present day, about 50 eruptions were recorded in total, the penultimate one occurred in 1877. However, after 140 years, on August 15, 2015, Cotopaxi again began to show signs of activity. The first explorer of the volcano was the German Alexander von Humboldt and the Frenchman Aimé Bonpland, but they never conquered the peak. A man climbed to the top of Cotopaxi in 1872. This was done by the German geologist Wilhelm Reiss, and a year later by the volcanologist and naturalist Moritz Alfons Stübel, also a native of Germany. The history of eruptions looks like this: the first recorded was 1534, then 1742, 1768, 1864, 1877, but until 1940, ash emissions were periodically observed.

2. San Pedro, 6145 meters

It is considered one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, located in the Atacama Desert, in the province of El Loa, Antofagastan region of Chile. Not far from the top is another attraction - the San Pablo volcano, connected to San Pedro by a high saddle. According to the type of formation, San Pedro is a stratovolcano and is represented by formations such as dacites, andesites and basalts. The relative height of the peak is 2014 meters, the most recent recorded eruption was observed in 1960. The first man climbed San Pedro on July 16, 1903. The climbers were the Chilean Filemon Morales and the Frenchman George Corti.

By the end of the 19th century, people began to understand that if they did not protect environment, but only to exploit it mercilessly, then in a fairly short time ...

1. Lullaco, 6739 meters

Llullalyaco - The highest active volcano in the world, located in the Peruvian Andes, on the border between Argentina and Chile, on the plateau of the world's highest volcanoes - Puna de Atacama. At the very top, there is eternal glaciation, and the last eruption was observed here in 1877, and today Llullaco is in a state of relative rest. The volcano is a cone that continues to grow. The first ascent was made on December 1, 1952 by Billon González and Juan Harzeim. Top - archaeological site, on the territory of which at the end of the 20th century the burials of Inca children were discovered. Three mummies believed to be 4, 5 and 13 years old were sacrificed about 5 centuries ago.

Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano on the planet. It is located in the Chilean Andes in South America, on the border of Argentina and Chile, but it belongs to Argentine territory. Its height reaches 6893 meters. This is the second highest peak of the South American continent. Not far from the volcano lies the Atacama Desert. The volcano has not erupted during the entire period of observation of it and is considered extinct.

In the Western Cordillera of the Andes, the world's highest active volcano, Llullaillaco, is located. Its absolute height is 6739 meters. The top of the volcano is covered with ice. The snow line of the western slope of Llullaillaco has the highest position on earth - more than 6.5 thousand meters. In 1877, the last volcanic eruption took place. AT given time it is in the solfataric stage.

In Chile, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, is the active volcano San Pedro. Its height is 6145 meters, its shape is a stratovolcano. It is located in the Antofagasta region of the province of El Loa and is adjacent to the Sero Parini volcano. A huge saddle separates San Pedro from the mountain ranges of the Central Andes. The last volcanic eruption was recorded on December 2, 1960.

Cotopaxi is the highest active volcano in Ecuador (5911 meters) and the second highest peak in the country. It is located in the Cordillera Oriental in South America. The volcano is included in the list of the highest active volcanoes in the world. It has a huge crater measuring 550x800 meters and a depth of 450 meters. Cotopaxi has erupted about 50 times since 1738. The last eruption dates back to 1940.

In the northeast of Tanzania, rising above the Masai plateau, is the active volcano Kilimanjaro. It reaches 5895 meters and is considered the highest point in Africa. Having explored Kilimanjaro, in 2003, scientists found that only 400 meters away from the edge of the molten lava crater Kibo - the main peak of the volcano. There are fears that a major eruption is approaching.

The El Misti stratovolcano is located in Peru in South America. Its height is 5822 meters. AT winter time the top of the volcano is covered with snow. 17 kilometers west of El Misti is the city of Arequipa with a million inhabitants. Most of the buildings in it are built from deposits of pyroclastic flows of the volcano, thanks to which Arequipa is also called the "white city".

most high peak Mexico is Orizaba. Her middle name is Sitlaltepetl, which translates as "star mountain". It is the third highest point on the list. North America. Its peak is located at an altitude of 5636 meters, and its excess is 4922 meters. Orizaba erupted 7 times between 1537 and 1687, but the volcano is now considered dormant.

Elbrus is in the north Caucasus mountains and is the most high point Russia. The stratovolcano is a saddle-shaped cone with two peaks located at a distance of 3000 meters from each other. The heights of the western and eastern peaks are 5642 and 5621 meters, respectively. The saddle separating the peaks is 5300 meters high. The date of the last eruption is approximately 50 AD.

The active volcano Popocatepetl rises above the Mexican Highlands. Its name in Nahuatl means "smoking hill". This is the second highest stratovolcano in Mexico, its peak reaches 5455 meters. Not far from it is the extinct volcano Istaxihuatl. Popocatepetl last erupted in 2011. Northwest of the volcano is the city of Mexico City with a population of 20 million.

Closes the list of the highest volcanoes "Sangay". The active volcano Sangay is located in Ecuador, on east side equatorial Andes. Its height is 5230 meters. This stratovolcano has three craters. According to scientists, Sangai was formed approximately 14,000 years ago. In 1628, an eruption was first recorded. Since 1934, the volcano has been actively erupting, the last time - in 2007.

Hot streams of molten lava sloshing out of the bowels of the Earth, and at the same time clouds of ash, hot steam. The spectacle, of course, is breathtaking, but where does it come from? What are the largest volcanoes on our planet? Where they are?

Origin and varieties of volcanoes

Under a thick layer of the earth's crust is magma - a molten substance of great temperature and under great pressure. Magma contains minerals, vaporous water and gases. When the pressure gets too high, the gases push the magma upward through weak points in the earth's crust. The surface layer of the Earth rises in the form of a mountain, and eventually the magma breaks out.

Erupting magma is called lava, and a mountainous hill with a hole is called a volcano. The eruption is accompanied by emissions of ash and steam. Lava moves at speeds of over 40 km/h, with a temperature of about 1000 degrees Celsius. Depending on the nature of the eruption and accompanying phenomena, volcanoes are divided into numerous types. For example, Hawaiian, Plinian, Peleian and others.

As it flows out, the lava hardens and builds up in layers, creating the shape of a volcano. So, there are volcanoes of a cone shape, gentle, domed, stratified or layered, as well as complex shapes. In addition, they are divided into active, dormant and extinct, depending on the degree of activity of the eruptions.

Large volcanoes of the world

Around the world there are approximately 540 active volcanoes, the number of extinct ones is even greater. All of them are located mainly in the Pacific, East African, Mediterranean fold zones. The greatest activity is manifested in the regions of South and Central America, Kamchatka, Japanese, and Iceland.

There are 330 active volcanoes in the Pacific belt alone. Large volcanoes are located in the Andes, on the Asian islands. In Africa, the highest is Kilimanjaro, located in Tanzania. This is a potentially active volcano that can wake up at any moment. Its height is 5895 meters.

Two of the world's volcanic giants are located on the territory of Chile and Argentina. They are considered the highest on Earth. Ojos del Salado is dormant, having erupted in 700 AD, although it occasionally emits water vapor and sulfur. The Argentine Llullaillaco is considered active, the last time it erupted only in 1877.

The largest world volcanoes are presented in the table.

Ring of Fire of the Pacific

Water Pacific Ocean hide three lithospheric plates. Their outer edges go under the lithospheric plates of the continents. Along the entire perimeter of these joints is the Pacific Ring of Fire - small and large volcanoes, most of which are active.

The ring of fire starts from Antarctica, passes through New Zealand, the Philippine Islands, Japan, the Kuriles, Kamchatka, stretches along the entire Pacific coast of the North and South America. In some places, the ring is broken, for example near and the state of California.

Large volcanoes of the Pacific belt are located in the Andes (Orizabo, San Pedro, Misti, Cotopaxi), Sumatra (Kerinchi), Ross Island (Erebus), Java (Semeru). One of the most famous - Fujiyama - is located on the island of Honshu. The Krakatoa volcano is located.

The archipelago has a volcanic origin Hawaiian Islands. The largest volcano is Mauna Loa with an absolute height of 4169 meters. In terms of relative height, the mountain bypasses Everest and is considered the highest peak in the world, this value is 10,168 meters.

mediterranean belt

The mountainous regions of Northwest Africa, southern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, Indochina, Tibet, Indonesia and the Himalayas make up the Mediterranean. Active geological processes take place here, one of the manifestations of which is volcanism.

The largest volcanoes of the Mediterranean belt are Vesuvius, Santorin (Aegean Sea) and Etna in Italy, Elbrus and Kazbek in the Caucasus, Ararat in Turkey. Italian Vesuvius consists of three peaks. From him powerful eruption in the first century AD, the cities of Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabia, Oplontia suffered. In memory of this event, Karl Bryullov painted the famous painting "The Last Day of Pompeii".

Stratovolcano Ararat is the highest point in Turkey and Armenian highlands. Its last eruption took place in 1840. It was accompanied by an earthquake that completely destroyed the neighboring village and monastery. Ararat, like the Caucasian Kazbek, consists of two peaks, which are separated by a saddle.

Large volcanoes of Russia (list)

In the territory Russian Federation volcanoes are located in the Kuriles, Kamchatka, the Caucasus and Transbaikalia. They make up about 8.5% of all volcanoes in the world. Many of them are considered extinct, although the sudden eruptions of the Nameless in 1956 and the Academy of Sciences in 1997 proved the relativity of this term.

The largest volcanoes are located in Kamchatka and Kuril Islands. The highest in all of Eurasia (among the existing ones) is considered (4835 meters). Its last eruption was recorded in 2013. In the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories there are not at all big volcanoes. For example, the height of Baranovsky is 160 meters. Berg (2005), Ebeko (2010), Chikurachki (2008), Kizimen (2013) and others have shown their activity over the past decade.

The largest volcanoes in Russia are presented in the table.

Conclusion

Volcanoes are the consequences of active processes that occur inside our planet. They are formed in the earth's crust, where the crust does not withstand the onslaught of pressure and high temperatures. Effects volcanic eruption can be quite serious, as they are accompanied by emissions of ash, gases, and sulfur into the atmosphere.

Associated phenomena of the eruption are often earthquakes and faults. The flowing lava has such a high temperature that it instantly affects biological organisms.

However, in addition to the destructive action, volcanoes also have the opposite effect. Lava that has not come to the surface can lift sedimentary rocks to form mountains. And the consequence of the eruption of an underwater volcano in Iceland was the island of Surtsey.