Many predictions of a possible doomsday include the eruption of the super volcano Yellowstone. But even if he is now overbearing beyond measure, there are many volcanoes on Earth that are a time bomb for nearby human settlements.
And so that your vacation is never overshadowed by steam clubs, ashes 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
A large caldera stratovolcano is located west of the city of Pasto, and is one of Colombia's most active volcanoes. He has been active for over one million years and there are no prerequisites for him to calm down in the 21st century.
In 1993, nine people were killed during the eruption of Galeras, 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 of Eurasia active on the mainland. It is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula, and, surprisingly, it is covered with pure snow and ice crusts, which during the eruption can create an interesting contrast with ash and lava flows.
He can throw a pillar 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 of them were before is unknown). The most powerful eruptions occurred in the 19th century.
8. Kilauea, Hawaii
The name of this volcano is not original, and translated from Hawaiian means "belching," "splashing out." It is believed that it was he who was chosen as the home by the local goddess of volcanoes.
Kilauea is the most active shield volcano on the island, it erupted almost continuously from 1983 to 2018, which caused a lot of destruction, as well as strong earthquakes and fires.
Since 1912, Hawaiian Volcanic Observatory has been observing a Hawaiian volcanic buoy.
7. Merapi, Indonesia
Merapi (meaning "mountain of fire") is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, erupted 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 led to 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 debris, which can be carried at a speed of 700 km / h. In 2010, 353 people became victims of such a flood.
6. Sakurajima, Japan
This active stratovolcano until 1914 was in itself, a separate island, but lava flows connected it with the Osumi Peninsula.
Volcanic eruptions have been occurring almost constantly since 1955, presenting a serious danger to nearby settlements, the largest of which is the city of Kagoshima (over 600 thousand inhabitants).
And not surprisingly, because of its danger in 1991, Sakurajima was included in the list of Volcanoes of the decade.
5. Taal, Philippines
Living like a volcano is no longer an actual expression for the inhabitants of the island of Taal, which houses one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. The Philippine authorities decided to prohibit the islanders from returning to the dangerous area, and 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, residents of the province of Batangas had to urgently be evacuated. And since it is not the first time the volcano has been showing its bad character, 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 the incredibly liquid lava, this is due to the low content of quartz in its composition. Due to its liquid, lava can sweep down the slopes at a speed of 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 his existence, spewing ash, lava and smoke. Once he was able to throw an ash-smoke pillar to a height of 10 kilometers.
2. Santorin, Greece
From “young to early” volcanoes, the main activity of which occurred in relatively recent times, we turn to the heavyweight, who last showed activity around 1645 BC.
It is the eruption of Santorini and the ensuing tsunami that is considered to be the cause of the death of the Minoan civilization of Crete (but this is not accurate). There is also a hypothesis that the memory of this disaster formed the basis of the legend of Atlantis.
After that, Santorin volcano showed only rare cases of seismic activity, and nothing that looks like an approaching 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 within a reasonable time frame of our existence, the likelihood of such an explosion is extremely low, and humanity is likely to find other ways to harm itself long before the supervolcano does.
For this reason, the active volcano Vesuvius takes first place in this rating. 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 may be at risk of death or, at best, loss of all acquired.
Vesuvius has not erupted from 1944 to the present, and can remain asleep for a long time. But there is a hypothesis that he will wake up again, sooner or later (the approximate period is from decades to centuries, in contrast to the indefinitely long sleep of supervolcanoes). Currently, the Osservatorio Vesuviano center in Naples is monitoring the activity of Vesuvius day and night.
