Report on the largest volcano. Volcanoes: interesting facts. The largest volcano in the world

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. 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 each 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 curtain 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 Lately 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 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 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 countries 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 very dangerous for 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 Democratic Republic Congo and Rwanda. The most active and dangerous volcano in Africa. Although Niragongo is currently relatively calm, his awakening could be disastrous. Its potential is enormous, 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. In a matter of days, the 1991 eruption released about 10 cubic kilometers into the atmosphere rocks. Then, for several months, the Earth's stratosphere was filled with sulfuric acid aerosol, which led to the formation of an ozone hole over Antarctica. giant size 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. young and big volcano which has been growing in activity in recent years. 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 several 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 of solid substances were thrown into the atmosphere, and 10,000 people died immediately. The total number of deaths over time reached the mark of 100,000. In fact, this volcano destroyed the developed and ancient culture Tambora 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. Ranked among the most active volcanoes Papua New Guinea, is one of the most frequently erupted, 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. It erupts a small amount 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.

Volcanoes are not only an exciting and dangerous sight. It is thanks to volcanic activity that life on planet Earth was born. The atmosphere and hydrosphere appeared due to emissions of a huge amount carbon dioxide and water vapor. To date, some fire-breathing mountains are inactive, while others cause trouble and anxiety to mankind.

Volcano Vesuvius. Italy

It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Europe. It was he who in August 1979 destroyed several ancient Roman cities, including Pompeii. It wakes up about every 20 years. The last time was in 1944.

Volcano Yellowstone Caldera. USA

About a third of the territory of Yellowstone National Park is occupied by an active volcano. Inside his bubble of magma is constantly heating thermal springs, which is manifested in the formation of geysers and mud pots.

Volcano Krakatau. Indonesia

The last time it erupted was in 1883, as a result of which the island on which the volcano is located was destroyed. The process lasted from May to the end of August. The victims of the ash and tsunami were 36 thousand people and 259 settlements. Today, a 1.5 km zone around the island is closed to the public.

Volcano Mauna Loa. Hawaii

This is the second largest of the megavolcanoes, the top of which is covered with snow from January to March. Sometimes he wakes up and pours out lava flows.

Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzania, Africa

The volcano consists of 3 extinct peaks. However, scientists have found that only at a depth of 400 m under the crater of the mountain is red-hot lava. In addition, the centuries-old ice cap that covered the peak has almost melted.

Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Iceland

Not so long ago, the volcano paralyzed the work of several European airports. The eruption was rated at 4 points on the VEI scale. Some researchers believe that the awakening of Eyyafyatlayokudl may be the trigger for the Katla eruption.

Volcano Cotopaxi. Ecuador

This is the most active volcano. After more than 150 years of silence, Cotopaxi came to life again in 2015. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Volcano Merapi. Java island

One of the most active volcanoes erupts at least twice a year, and major eruptions occur every seven years. For local residents have to evacuate. The top of Merapi smokes non-stop.

Volcano Popocatepetl. Mexico

The most powerful eruption occurred in 2000. It was preceded by 15 years of increased activity fiery mountain. In March 2016, Popocatepetl raised a column of steam, gas and ash to a height of 2 km. At risk are the cities of Mexico City and Puebla.

August 24-25, 79 AD an eruption occurred that was considered extinct Mount Vesuvius located on the shore Gulf of Naples, 16 kilometers east of Naples (Italy). The eruption led to the death of four Roman cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontius, Stabia - and several small villages and villas. Pompeii, located 9.5 kilometers from the crater of Vesuvius and 4.5 kilometers from the base of the volcano, was covered with a layer of very small pieces of pumice about 5-7 meters thick and covered with a layer of volcanic ash. With the onset of night, lava flowed from the side of Vesuvius, everywhere fires started, the ashes made it hard to breathe. On August 25, along with the earthquake, a tsunami began, the sea receded from the coast, and a black thundercloud hung over Pompeii and the surrounding cities, hiding Cape Mizensky and the island of Capri. Most of The population of Pompeii was able to escape, but on the streets and in the houses of the city, about two thousand people died from poisonous sulfuric gases. Among the victims was the Roman writer and scholar Pliny the Elder. Herculaneum, located seven kilometers from the crater of the volcano and about two kilometers from its sole, was covered with a layer of volcanic ash, the temperature of which was so high that all wooden objects were completely charred. The ruins of Pompeii were accidentally discovered at the end of the 16th century, but systematic excavations began only in 1748 and are still ongoing, along with reconstruction and restoration.

March 11, 1669 there was an eruption Mount Etna in Sicily, which lasted until July of that year (according to other sources, until November 1669). The eruption was accompanied by numerous earthquakes. Lava fountains along this crack gradually shifted downward, and the largest cone formed near the city of Nikolosi. This cone is known as Monti Rossi (Red Mountain) and is still clearly visible on the slope of the volcano. Nicolosi and two nearby villages were destroyed on the first day of the eruption. In another three days, the lava flowing down the slope to the south destroyed four more villages. At the end of March, two more major cities, and in early April, lava flows reached the outskirts of Catania. Lava began to accumulate under the fortress walls. Part of it flowed into the harbor and filled it. On April 30, 1669, lava flowed over the upper part of the fortress walls. The townspeople built additional walls across the main roads. This made it possible to stop the progress of the lava, but West Side the city was destroyed. The total volume of this eruption is estimated at 830 million cubic meters. Lava flows burned 15 villages and part of the city of Catania, completely changing the configuration of the coast. According to some sources, 20 thousand people, according to others - from 60 to 100 thousand.

October 23, 1766 on the island of Luzon (Philippines) began to erupt mayon volcano. Dozens of villages were swept away, incinerated by a huge lava flow (30 meters wide), which descended the eastern slopes for two days. Following the initial explosion and lava flow, Mayon volcano continued to erupt for another four days, spewing large amounts of steam and watery mud. Greyish-brown rivers, 25 to 60 meters wide, crashed down the slopes of the mountain in a radius of up to 30 kilometers. They completely swept away roads, animals, villages with people (Daraga, Kamalig, Tobako) on their way. More than 2,000 residents died during the eruption. Basically, they were swallowed up by the first lava flow or secondary mud avalanches. For two months, the mountain spewed ash, poured lava into the surrounding area.

April 5-7, 1815 there was an eruption Volcano Tambora on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Ashes, sand and volcanic dust were thrown into the air to a height of 43 kilometers. Stones up to five kilograms in weight scattered over a distance of up to 40 kilometers. The Tambora eruption affected the islands of Sumbawa, Lombok, Bali, Madura and Java. Subsequently, under a three-meter layer of ash, scientists found traces of the fallen kingdoms of Pekat, Sangar and Tambora. Simultaneously with the volcanic eruption, a huge tsunami 3.5-9 meters high was formed. Receding from the island, the water fell on neighboring islands and killed hundreds of people. Directly during the eruption, about 10 thousand people died. At least 82 thousand more people died from the consequences of the catastrophe - hunger or disease. Ashes that covered Sumbawa with a shroud destroyed the entire crop and covered the irrigation system; acid rain poisoned the water. Within three years after the eruption of Tambora, the entire Earth enveloped in a veil of particles of dust and ash, reflecting part of the sun's rays and cooling the planet. The following year, 1816, Europeans felt the effects of a volcanic eruption. He entered the annals of history as "a year without a summer". average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere fell by about one degree, and in some areas even by 3-5 degrees. From spring and summer frosts on the soil suffered large areas crops, and famine began in many territories.

August 26-27, 1883 there was an eruption Krakatoa volcano located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. From the tremors on the nearby islands, houses collapsed. On August 27, at about 10 am, there was a giant explosion, an hour later - a second explosion of the same force. More than 18 cubic kilometers of rock fragments and ash shot up into the atmosphere. The tsunami waves caused by the explosions instantly swallowed up cities, villages, forests on the coast of Java and Sumatra. Many islands disappeared under water along with the population. The tsunami was so powerful that it bypassed almost the entire planet. In total, 295 cities and villages were swept off the face of the earth on the coasts of Java and Sumatra, more than 36 thousand people died, hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The shores of Sumatra and Java have changed beyond recognition. On the coast of the Sunda Strait, fertile soil was washed away down to the rocky base. Only a third of the island of Krakatoa survived. In terms of the amount of water and rock displaced, the energy of the Krakatoa eruption is equivalent to the explosion of several hydrogen bombs. The strange glow and optical phenomena persisted for several months after the eruption. In some places above the Earth, the sun seemed blue and the moon bright green. And the movement in the atmosphere of dust particles thrown out by the eruption allowed scientists to establish the presence of a "jet" flow.

May 8, 1902 Mont Pelee volcano located in Martinique, one of the islands caribbean, literally torn to pieces - four strong explosions sounded like cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. Since the emissions did not go through the top of the volcano, but through side craters, all volcanic eruptions of this type have since been called "Peleian". The superheated volcanic gas, which, due to its high density and high speed of movement, floated above the earth itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction stretched for another 60 square kilometers. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of incandescent ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry rock fragments and volcanic eruptions, had a temperature of 700-980 ° C and was able to melt glass. Mont Pele erupted again - on May 20, 1902 - with almost the same force as on May 8. The volcano Mont-Pele, having scattered to pieces, destroyed one of the main ports of Martinique, Saint-Pierre, along with its population. 36 thousand people died instantly, hundreds of people died from side effects. The two survivors have become celebrities. Shoemaker Leon Comper Leander managed to escape within the walls of his own house. He miraculously survived, although he received severe burns to his legs. Louis Auguste Cypress, nicknamed Samson, was in a prison cell during the eruption and sat there for four days, despite severe burns. After being rescued, he was pardoned, soon he was hired by the circus and was shown during performances as the only surviving resident of Saint-Pierre.

June 1, 1912 eruption began Katmai volcano in Alaska, which has been dormant for a long time. On June 4, ash material was thrown out, which, mixed with water, formed mud flows, on June 6 there was an explosion of colossal force, the sound of which was heard in Juneau for 1200 kilometers and in Dawson for 1040 kilometers from the volcano. Two hours later there was a second explosion of great force, and in the evening a third. Then, for several days, an eruption of a colossal amount of gases and solid products went on almost continuously. During the eruption, about 20 cubic kilometers of ash and debris escaped from the mouth of the volcano. The deposition of this material formed a layer of ash from 25 centimeters to 3 meters thick, and much more near the volcano. The amount of ash was so great that for 60 hours there was complete darkness around the volcano at a distance of 160 kilometers. On June 11, volcanic dust fell in Vancouver and Victoria at a distance of 2200 km from the volcano. In the upper atmosphere, it spread throughout North America and fell in large quantities in pacific ocean. whole year small particles of ash moved in the atmosphere. Summer on the entire planet turned out to be much colder than usual, since more than a quarter of the sun's rays falling on the planet were retained in the ashy curtain. In addition, in 1912 surprisingly beautiful scarlet dawns were observed everywhere. A lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed on the site of the crater - the main attraction of the lake formed in 1980 national park and the Katmai Wildlife Sanctuary.

December 13-28, 1931 there was an eruption volcano Merapi on the island of Java in Indonesia. For two weeks, from December 13 to 28, the volcano erupted a lava flow about seven kilometers long, up to 180 meters wide and up to 30 meters deep. The white-hot stream burned the earth, burned the trees and destroyed all the villages in its path. In addition, both sides of the volcano exploded, and the erupted volcanic ash covered half of the island of the same name. During this eruption, 1,300 people died. The eruption of Mount Merapi in 1931 was the most destructive, but far from the last.

In 1976, a volcanic eruption killed 28 people and destroyed 300 houses. Significant morphological changes taking place in the volcano caused another disaster. In 1994, the dome that had formed in previous years collapsed, and the resulting massive release of pyroclastic material forced the local population to leave their villages. 43 people died.

In 2010, the number of victims from the central part of the Indonesian island of Java was 304 people. The list of the dead included those who died from exacerbations of lung and heart diseases caused by ash emissions and other chronic diseases and those who died from injuries.

November 12, 1985 eruption began Volcano Ruiz in Colombia, which was considered extinct. On November 13, several explosions were heard one after another. The power of the strongest explosion, according to experts, was about 10 megatons. A column of ash and rock fragments rose into the sky to a height of eight kilometers. The eruption that began caused the instantaneous melting of vast glaciers and eternal snows lying on the top of the volcano. The main blow fell on the city of Armero located 50 kilometers from the mountain, which was destroyed in 10 minutes. Of the 28.7 thousand inhabitants of the city, 21 thousand died. Not only Armero was destroyed, but also a number of villages. Such settlements as Chinchino, Libano, Murillo, Casabianca and others were badly affected by the eruption. Mudflows damaged oil pipelines, fuel supply to the southern and western parts of the country was cut off. As a result of the sudden melting of snow lying in the mountains of Nevado Ruiz, nearby rivers burst their banks. Powerful streams of water washed away car roads, demolished power line and telephone poles, destroyed bridges. According to the official statement of the Colombian government, as a result of the eruption of the Ruiz volcano, 23 thousand people died and went missing, about five thousand were seriously injured and maimed. About 4,500 residential buildings and administrative buildings were completely destroyed. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless and without any means of subsistence. The Colombian economy has suffered significant damage.

June 10-15, 1991 there was an eruption Mount Pinatubo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The eruption began quite rapidly and was unexpected, as the volcano came into a state of activity after more than six centuries of dormancy. On June 12, the volcano exploded, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky. Streams of gas, ash and rocks melted to a temperature of 980 ° C poured down the slopes at a speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour. For many kilometers around, all the way to Manila, day turned into night. And the cloud and the ash falling from it reached Singapore, which is 2.4 thousand kilometers away from the volcano. On the night of June 12 and the morning of June 13, the volcano erupted again, throwing ash and flame into the air for 24 kilometers. The volcano continued to erupt on June 15 and 16. Mud streams and water washed away houses. As a result of numerous eruptions, approximately 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources