Volcanic eruption concept. The structure of volcanoes of the central type. When people walked the sea

Volcanoes are geological formations on the Earth's surface where magma comes out in the form of lava. These mountains are not only on Earth, but also on other planets. So, the Olympus volcano on Mars reaches a height of several tens of kilometers. Such formations are dangerous not only with lava, but also with the release of a large amount of dust and ash into the atmosphere.

eruption Icelandic volcano Eyyafjallayekul in 2010 made a lot of noise. Although it was not the most destructive in terms of strength, its proximity to Europe led to the impact of emissions on transport system mainland. However, history knows many other cases of the destructive effects of volcanoes. Let's talk about the ten most famous and large-scale of them.

Vesuvius, Italy. On August 24, 79, the volcano Vesuvius erupted, which destroyed not only the well-known city of Pompeii, but also the cities of Stabiae and Herculaneum. Ashes even reached Egypt and Syria. It would be a mistake to assume that the catastrophe destroyed Pompeii alive, out of 20 thousand people, only 2 thousand died. Among the victims was the famous scientist Pliny the Elder, who approached the volcano on a ship in order to explore it and thus found himself practically at the epicenter of the disaster. During the excavations of Pompeii, it was found that under a multi-meter layer of ash, the life of the city froze at the time of the disaster - objects, houses with furnishings remained in their places, people and animals were found. Today, Vesuvius remains the only active volcano on the continental part of Europe, more than 80 of its eruptions are known in total, the very first one supposedly happened 9 thousand years ago, and the last one took place in 1944. Then the cities of Massa and San Sebastiano were destroyed, and 57 people died. Naples is located 15 kilometers from Vesuvius, the height of the mountain is 1281 meters.

Tambora, Sumbawa Island. The cataclysm on this Indonesian island happened on April 5, 1815. This is the largest number dead people and by the amount of material released into modern history eruption. The catastrophe associated with the eruption and the ensuing famine killed 92,000 people. In addition, the Tambora culture, which Europeans had only met shortly before, completely disappeared from the face of the earth. The volcano lived for 10 days, decreasing during this time in height by 1400 meters. Ashes for 3 days hid the territory within a radius of 500 kilometers from the sun. According to the testimony of the British authorities in those days in Indonesia, it was impossible to see anything at arm's length. Most of Sumbawa Island was covered with a meter layer of ash, under the weight of which even stone houses crumbled. 150-180 cubic kilometers of gases and pyroclassics were thrown into the atmosphere. The volcano therefore had a strong impact on the climate of the entire planet - ash clouds poorly transmitted the rays of the Sun, which led to a noticeable decrease in temperature. 1816 became known as "the year without summer", in Europe and America the snow melted only in June, and the first frosts appeared already in August. The result was massive crop failures and famine.

Taupo, New Zealand. 27 thousand years ago on one of the islands happened strong eruption volcano, surpassing even Tamboru in strength. Geologists consider this cataclysm the last such force in the history of the planet. As a result of the work of the supervolcano, Lake Taupo was formed, which today is the object of attention of tourists, as it is very beautiful. The last eruption of the giant took place in 180 AD. The ash and the blast destroyed half of all life on the North Island, about 100 cubic kilometers of tectonic matter fell into the atmosphere. The speed of the rock eruption was 700 km/h. The ash that rose into the sky painted sunsets and sunrises all over the world with purple, which was reflected in the ancient Roman and Chinese chronicles.

Krakatau, Indonesia. The volcano, located between the islands of Sumatra and Java, produced on August 27, 1883 the largest explosion of its kind in modern history. During the cataclysm, a tsunami up to 30 meters high appeared, which simply washed away 295 villages and cities, while about 37 thousand people died. The roar from the explosion was heard on 8% of the entire surface of the planet, and pieces of lava were thrown into the air to an unprecedented height of 55 kilometers. The wind carried the volcanic ash so much that after 10 days it was found at a distance of 5330 kilometers from the scene. The mountain-island then split into 3 small parts. The wave from the explosion circled the earth from 7 to 11 times, geologists believe that the explosion was 200 thousand times stronger than the nuclear strike on Hiroshima. Krakatau woke up before, so, in 535, his activity significantly changed the climate of the planet, perhaps then the islands of Java and Sumatra were divided. On the site of the volcano destroyed in 1883 during underwater eruption appeared in 1927 new volcano, Anak Krakatau, which is still quite active today. Its height is now 300 meters due to new activities.

Santorini, Greece. Approximately one and a half thousand years BC, a volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Thera, which put an end to the entire Cretan civilization. Sulfur covered all the fields, which made further farming unthinkable. According to some versions, it is Thera that is the very Atlantis described by Plato. Someone also believes that the eruption of Santorini entered the annals, like a pillar of fire seen by Moses, and the parted sea is nothing more than the consequences of the disappearance of the island of Thera under water. However, the volcano continued its activity, in 1886 its eruption lasted whole year, while pieces of lava flew straight out of the sea and rose to a height of 500 meters. As a result - several new islands nearby.

Etna, Sicily. About 200 eruptions of this Italian volcano are known. Among them were quite powerful ones, so, in 1169, about 15 thousand people died during the cataclysm. Today, Etna remains an active volcano with a height of 3329 meters, waking up about once every 150 years and destroying one of the nearby villages. Why don't people leave the slopes of the mountain? The fact is that the frozen lava helps the soil to become more fertile, which is why the Sicilians settle here. In 1928, besides, a miracle happened - the flow of red-hot lava stopped in front of the Catholic procession. This inspired the believers so much that in 1930 a chapel was erected on this site, 30 years later the lava stopped in front of it. The Italians protect these places, so in 1981 the local government created a reserve around Etna. It is curious that a blues music festival is even arranged on a calm volcano. Etna is quite large, exceeding the size of Vesuvius by 2.5 times. The volcano has from 200 to 400 side craters, lava erupts from one of them every three months.

Montagne Pele, Martinique island. The volcanic eruption on the island began in April 1902, and on May 8 a whole cloud of vapors, gases and red-hot lava hit the city of Saint-Pierre, located 8 kilometers away. A few minutes later he was gone, and of the 17 ships that were in the harbor at that moment, only one managed to survive. The ship "Roddam" escaped from the clutches of the elements with broken masts, smoking and littered with ashes. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants of the city, two escaped, one of them was called Opost Siparis, and he was sentenced to death. He was saved by the thick stone walls of the prison. Subsequently, the prisoner was pardoned by the governor, spending the rest of his life traveling the world with stories about what happened. The force of the blow was such that the monument on the square, weighing several tons, was thrown aside, and the heat was such that even the bottles melted. It is interesting that the outpouring of liquid lava did not directly occur, the impact was caused by vapors, gases and pulverized lava. Later, a sharp lava plug 375 meters high came out of the crater of the volcano. It also turned out that the bottom of the sea near Martinique had sunk several hundred meters. The city of Saint-Pierre, by the way, became famous for the birth of Napoleon's wife, Josephine Beauharnais, in it.

Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia. A volcano 5400 meters high, located in the Andes, splashed out lava flows on November 13, 1985, and the main blow fell on the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers away. It took only 10 minutes for the lava to destroy it. The death toll exceeded 21 thousand people, and in total at that time about 29 thousand lived in Armero. Sadly, no one listened to the volcanologists' information about the impending eruption, since the specialists' information was repeatedly not confirmed.

Pinatubo, Philippines. Until June 12, 1991, the volcano was considered extinct for 611 years. The first signs of activity appeared in April and the Philippine authorities managed to evacuate all residents within a radius of 20 kilometers. The eruption itself claimed the lives of 875 people, while the US naval base and the US strategic air base, located 18 kilometers from Pinatubo, were destroyed. The ejected ash covered an area of ​​125,000 km2 of the sky. The consequences of the disaster were a general decrease in temperature by half a degree and a reduction in the ozone layer, due to which a very large ozone hole formed over Antarctica. The height of the volcano before the eruption was 1486 meters, and after - 1745 meters. At the site of Pinatubo, a crater with a diameter of 2.5 kilometers was formed. Today, earthquakes regularly occur in this area, preventing any construction within a radius of tens of kilometers.

Katmai, Alaska. The eruption of this volcano on June 6, 1912 was one of the largest in the 20th century. The height of the ash column was 20 kilometers, and the sound reached the capital of Alaska, the city of Juneau, located 1200 kilometers away. At a distance of 4 kilometers from the epicenter, the ash layer reached 20 meters. Summer in Alaska turned out to be very cold, as the rays could not break through the cloud. After all, thirty billion tons of rocks were taken into the air! In the crater itself, a lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed, and it became the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Reserve formed here in 1980. Today, the height of this active volcano is 2047 meters, and the last famous eruption happened in 1921.

IN Ancient Rome the name Vulcan was worn by a mighty god, the patron of fire and blacksmithing. We call volcanoes geological formations on the surface of the land or on the ocean floor, through which lava comes to the surface from the deep interior of the earth.

Often accompanied by earthquakes and tsunamis, eruptions major volcanoes had a significant impact on the history of mankind.

Geographic feature. Significance of volcanoes

During a volcanic eruption, magma comes to the surface through cracks in the earth's crust, forming lava, volcanic gases, ash, volcanic rocks, and pyroclastic flows. Despite the danger posed to man by these mighty natural objects, it was thanks to the study of magma, lava and other products of volcanic activity that we managed to gain knowledge about the structure, composition and properties of the lithosphere.

It is believed that thanks to volcanic eruptions, proteinaceous forms of life could appear on our planet: eruptions released carbon dioxide and other gases necessary for the formation of the atmosphere. And volcanic ash, settling, became an excellent fertilizer for plants due to the potassium, magnesium and phosphorus contained in it.

The role of volcanoes in regulating the climate on Earth is invaluably important: during the eruption, our planet “lets off steam” and cools, which largely saves us from the consequences of global warming.

Characteristics of volcanoes

Volcanoes differ from other mountains not only in composition, but also in strict external outlines. From the craters at the top of the volcanoes, deep narrow ravines formed by streams of water stretch down. There are also whole volcanic mountains, formed by several nearby volcanoes and products of their eruptions.

However, a volcano is not always a mountain breathing fire and heat. Even active volcanoes can look like straight cracks on the surface of the planet. There are especially many such "flat" volcanoes in Iceland (the most famous of them, Eldgja, has a length of 30 km).

Types of volcanoes

Depending on the degree volcanic activity distinguish: current, conditionally active And dormant ("sleeping") volcanoes. The division of volcanoes according to activity is very conditional. There are cases when volcanoes, considered extinct, began to show seismic activity and even erupt.

Depending on the shape of volcanoes, there are:

• Stratovolcanoes- classic "fire mountains" or volcanoes of the central type of a cone-shaped shape with a crater at the top.
• Volcanic crevices or fissures- Faults in the earth's crust through which lava comes to the surface.
• calderas- hollows, volcanic cauldrons formed as a result of the failure of a volcanic peak.
• Shield- are called so because of the high fluidity of the lava, which, flowing for many kilometers in wide streams, forms a kind of shield.
• lava domes - formed by the accumulation of viscous lava above the vent.
• Cinder or tephra cones- have the shape of a truncated cone, consist of loose materials (ash, volcanic stones, boulders, etc.).
• complex volcanoes.

In addition to terrestrial lava volcanoes, there are underwater And mud(spewing liquid mud, not magma) Underwater volcanoes are more active than terrestrial ones, through them 75% of the lava erupted from the bowels of the Earth is ejected.

Types of volcanic eruptions

Depending on the viscosity of the lavas, the composition and amount of eruption products, 4 main types of volcanic eruptions are distinguished.

Effusive or Hawaiian type- relatively quiet eruption of lava formed in craters. The gases released during the eruption form lava fountains from drops, filaments and lumps of liquid lava.

Extrusion or dome type- accompanied by the release of gases in large quantities, leading to explosions and emissions of black clouds from ash and lava debris.

Mixed or strombolian type- abundant lava output, accompanied by small explosions with ejection of pieces of slag and volcanic bombs.

hydroexplosive type- characteristic of underwater volcanoes in shallow water, accompanied big amount steam released when magma comes into contact with water.

The largest volcanoes in the world

The highest volcano in the world is Ojos del Salado located on the border between Chile and Argentina. Its height is 6891 m, the volcano is considered extinct. Among the active fiery mountains» the highest is Llullaillaco- volcano of the Chilean-Argentine Andes with a height of 6,723 m.

The largest (among terrestrial) in terms of area is a volcano mauna loa on the island of Hawaii (height - 4,169 m, volume - 75,000 km 3). mauna loa also one of the most powerful active volcanoes world: since its “awakening” in 1843, the volcano has erupted 33 times. by the most big volcano the planet is a huge volcanic massif Tamu(area 260,000 km 2), located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

But the strongest eruption for the entire historical period was produced by a “low” Krakatoa(813 m) in 1883 on Malay Archipelago in Indonesia. Vesuvius(1281) - one of the most dangerous volcanoes world, the only active volcano in continental Europe - located in southern Italy near Naples. Exactly Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii in 79.

In Africa, the highest volcano is Kilimanjaro (5895), and in Russia - a two-peak stratovolcano Elbrus (North Caucasus) (5642 m - western peak, 5621 m - eastern).

I always listened with bated breath about what a volcano is when I sat at the lessons of life safety. It seemed to me that I would never be able to see him live. When I arrived in the Philippines, I decided not to miss such a unique once in a lifetime opportunity. Now you will know everything.

What is a volcano

The volcano is geological formation located on the surface of the earth's crust. He sometimes erupts pyroclastic flows, which includes ash and stones, as well as volcanic gas and lava.

Now I will tell you about classification of volcanoes which is accepted today. They are:

• operating;
• sleeping;
• extinct.

An active volcano erupts periodically, which allows us to know the mechanisms that lead to this. Scientists who observe this process receive important information, which is associated with this formidable phenomenon.

The dormant volcano is the one that not valid at the moment, but he can wake up at any time.

Extinct were once active, but they will no longer bring trouble in the future. It is said that such volcanoes will never erupt.

Why does a volcano erupt

Planet Earth consists of an integral piece of stone, which has its own structure. Above is the lithosphere, which is also called the "hard shell". Its thickness is only one percent of the radius. the globe. Below it is the mantle, where the temperature is so high that it is always in a liquid state, and in its center is a solid core. To be honest, I'm even scared to imagine how hot it is there.

Because lithospheric plates are always in motion, then this leads to emergence of a magma chamber. If they break out to the surface of the earth's crust, the volcano will begin to erupt.

Magma gradually rises and accumulates in places that are commonly called foci. They are those spaces where there are faults in the earth's crust. First, magma occupies the free space located in the hearth, and then begins to rise along the cracks in the earth's crust. Thin sections of the earth's crust erupt during this process. Exactly This is how volcanoes erupt.

Where can you see the volcano

I was very lucky to see this miracle with my own eyes when I was relaxing in the Philippines. I had excursion to the volcano called Pinatubo. You have to take a plane from Manila to get there. There is a beautiful lake in its crater. where I and other tourists could have a great swim. You can rent a boat to see the remains of the lava, which are preserved from the last eruption.

It is difficult to find a person who at least once would not take an interest in volcanoes. Most of them read books about them, with bated breath watched footage from the sites of eruptions, at the same time admiring the power and splendor of the elements and rejoicing that this does not happen next to them. Volcanoes are something that leaves no one indifferent. So what is it?

The structure of the volcano

Volcanoes are special geological formations that arise when the hot substance of the mantle rises from the depths and comes to the surface. Magma rises up the cracks and faults in the earth's crust. Where it breaks out, active volcanoes form. This occurs at the boundaries of lithospheric plates, where faults arise due to their separation or collision. And the plates themselves are involved in movement when the mantle substance moves.

Most often, volcanoes look like conical mountains or hills. In their structure, a vent is clearly distinguished - a channel through which magma rises, and a crater - a depression at the top through which an outpouring of lava occurs. The volcanic cone itself consists of many layers of products of activity: solidified lava, and ash.

Since the eruption is accompanied by the release of hot gases, glowing even during the day, and ash, volcanoes are often called "fire-breathing mountains." In ancient times, they were considered the gates to underworld. And they got the name in honor of the ancient Roman It was believed that fire and smoke fly from his underground forge. Such Interesting Facts about volcanoes fuel curiosity in a variety of people.

Types of volcanoes

The existing division into active and extinct is very conditional. Active volcanoes are those that have erupted in human memory. There are eyewitness accounts of these events. So many active volcanoes in areas of modern mountain building. These are, for example, Kamchatka, the island of Iceland, East Africa, Andes, Cordillera.

Extinct volcanoes are those that have not erupted for thousands of years. In the memory of people, information about their activity was not preserved. But there are many cases when a volcano, which was considered inactive for a long time, suddenly woke up and brought a lot of troubles. The most famous of them is famous eruption Vesuvius in 79, glorified by Bryullov's painting The Last Day of Pompeii. 5 years before this catastrophe, rebels hid on its top. And the mountain was covered with lush vegetation.

The extinct volcanoes include Mount Elbrus - the most high peak Russia. Its two-headed top consists of two cones merged at the bases.

Volcanic eruption as a geological process

An eruption is the process of ejection to the earth's surface of incandescent magmatic products in a solid, liquid and gaseous state. For each volcano it is individual. Sometimes the eruption is quite calm, liquid lava pours out in streams and flows down the slopes. It does not interfere with the gradual release of gases, so strong explosions do not occur.

This type of eruption is typical for Kilauea. This volcano in Hawaii is considered one of the most active in the world. With a diameter of about 4.5 km, its crater is also the largest in the world.

If the lava is thick, it plugs up the crater from time to time. As a result, the released gases, finding no way out, accumulate in the vent of the volcano. When the gas pressure becomes very high, powerful explosion. It lifts large volumes of lava into the air, which subsequently falls to the ground in the form of volcanic bombs, sand and ash.

The most famous explosive volcanoes are the already mentioned Vesuvius, Katmai in North America.

But the most powerful explosion, which led to a cooling around the world due to volcanic clouds, through which the sun's rays could hardly break through, occurred in 1883. Then I lost most of it. A column of gas and ash rose up to 70 km in the air. Contact ocean water with hot magma led to the formation of a tsunami up to 30 m high. In general, about 37 thousand people became victims of the eruption.

Modern volcanoes

It is believed that now in the world there are more than 500 active volcanoes. Most of them belong to the zone of the Pacific "ring of fire", located along the boundaries of the lithospheric plate of the same name. Every year there are about 50 eruptions. At least half a billion people live in their zone of activity.

Volcanoes of Kamchatka

One of the most famous areas of modern volcanism is located on the Russian Far East. This is an area of ​​modern mountain building, belonging to the Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanoes of Kamchatka included in the list world heritage UNESCO. They represent big interest not only as objects of scientific research, but also as natural monuments.

It is here that the highest active volcano in Eurasia is located - Klyuchevskaya Sopka. Its height is 4750 m. Plosky Tolbachik, Mutnovskaya Sopka, Gorely, Vilyuchinsky, Gorny Tooth, Avachinsky Sopka and others are also widely known for their activity. In total, there are 28 active volcanoes in Kamchatka and about half a thousand extinct ones. But here are some interesting facts. Much is known about the volcanoes of Kamchatka. But along with this, the region is known for a much rarer phenomenon - geysers.

These are sources that periodically throw out fountains of boiling water and steam. Their activity is connected with magma that has risen along cracks in the earth's crust close to the earth's surface and heats groundwater.

The famous Valley of Geysers, located here, was discovered in 1941 by T. I. Ustinova. It is considered to be one of the wonders of nature. The area of ​​the Valley of Geysers is no more than 7 sq. km, but there are 20 large geysers and dozens of springs with boiling water. The largest geyser, the Giant, throws out a column of water and steam to a height of about 30 m!

Which volcano is the tallest?

It is not so easy to determine this. Firstly, the height of active volcanoes can increase with each eruption due to the growth of a new layer of rocks or decrease due to explosions destroying the cone.

Secondly, a volcano that was considered extinct may wake up. If it is high enough, it can push back the already existing leader.

Thirdly, where to calculate the height of the volcano - from the base or from sea level? This gives completely different numbers. After all, the cone, which has the highest absolute height, may not be the largest in comparison with the surrounding area, and vice versa.

Currently, among the active volcanoes, Lluillaillaco is considered the largest in South America. Its height is 6723 m. But many volcanologists believe that Cotopaxi, located on the same mainland, can claim the title of the greatest. Let him have a lower height - “only” 5897 m, but last eruption he had in 1942, and Lluillaillaco - already in 1877.

Also highest volcano on Earth can be considered the Hawaiian Mauna Loa. Although it absolute height is 4169 m, this is less than half of its true value. The cone of Mauna Loa starts from the very ocean floor and rises more than 9 km. That is, its height from the sole to the top exceeds the dimensions of the Chomolungma!

mud volcanoes

Has anyone heard about the Valley of Volcanoes in Crimea? After all, it is very difficult to imagine this peninsula shrouded in the smoke of eruptions, and the beaches filled with red-hot lava. But do not worry, because we are talking about mud volcanoes.

This is not such a rare occurrence in nature. mud volcanoes- this is a semblance of real ones, but they do not throw out lava, but streams of liquid and semi-liquid mud. The cause of eruptions is the accumulation in underground cavities and cracks a large number gases, usually hydrocarbons. The pressure of the gas powers the volcano, tall pole mud sometimes rises to several tens of meters, and the ignition of gas and explosions give the eruption a rather formidable appearance.

The process can continue for several days, accompanied by a local earthquake, underground rumble. As a result, a low cone of solidified mud is formed.

Areas of mud volcanism

In Crimea, such volcanoes are found on Kerch Peninsula. The most famous of them is Dzhau-Tepe, which greatly frightened local residents with its short eruption (only 14 minutes) in 1914. A column of liquid mud was thrown 60 m up. The length of the mud stream reached 500 m with a width of more than 100 m. But such large eruptions are rather an exception.

The areas of action of mud volcanoes often coincide with oil and gas production sites. In Russia they are found on Taman Peninsula, on Sakhalin. From neighboring countries Azerbaijan is "rich" in them.

In 2007, the volcano became more active, flooding a vast territory with its mud, including many buildings. According to local population, this was due to the drilling of a well that disturbed deep layers of rocks.

Edinburgh Castle in Scotland erected on top extinct volcano. And most Scots don't even know it.

It turns out that volcanoes can be actors! In the film "The Last Samurai" in the role sacred mountain Japanese Fujiyama was made by Taranaki, considered the most beautiful in New Zealand. The fact is that the surroundings of Fuji with its urban landscapes were in no way suitable for filming a picture about the events of the late 19th century.

In general, New Zealand volcanoes do not have to complain about the inattention of filmmakers. After all, Ruapehu and Tongariro became famous largely thanks to the film "The Lord of the Rings", in which Orodruin was depicted, in the flame of which the Ring of Omnipotence was created and subsequently destroyed in the same place. The lone mountain in Erebor in The Hobbit movie is also one of the local volcanoes.

And the Kamchatka geysers and waterfalls became the backdrop for the filming of the film "Sannikov Land".

The eruption of Mount St. Helens (USA) in 1980 is considered the most powerful in the entire 20th century. The explosion, in its power equal to 500 bombs dropped on Hiroshima, fell ashes on the territory of four states.

Eyyafyadlayokudl became famous for throwing ash and smoke into chaos air traffic European countries spring 2010. And its name has baffled hundreds of radio and television announcers.

Philippine volcano Pinatubo erupted last time in 1991. At the same time, two American military bases were destroyed. And after 20 years, the Pinatubo crater was filled with rainwater, forming an amazing beautiful lake, the slopes of the volcano are overgrown with tropical vegetation. This made it possible travel agencies organize a vacation with swimming in a volcanic lake.

Eruptions often produce interesting rocks. For example, the lightest stone is pumice. Numerous air bubbles make it lighter than water. Or "Pele's hair" found in Hawaii. They are long thin strands of rock. Many buildings in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, are built of pink volcanic tuff, which gives the city a unique flavor.

Volcanoes are a formidable and majestic phenomenon. Interest in them is caused by fear, curiosity, and a thirst for new knowledge. It is not for nothing that they are called windows to the underworld. But there are purely utilitarian interests. For example, volcanic soils are very fertile, which makes people settle near them for centuries, despite the danger.

Volcanoes for many uninitiated seem to be something fantastic and incomprehensibly formidable. In order to get more full view about these objects, we present interesting facts about volcanoes.

The only volcanic stone floating on the surface of the water is volcanic pumice. It is characterized by a gray color, this stone is riddled with hollow holes formed during the cooling of the stone. This process was accompanied by the release of gases, which formed holes.

eruptions of the most huge volcanoes, called supervolcanoes, often cause horrific consequences. This is the fiery rain that pours for miles around the volcano itself, and global climate change due to the ingress of ash into the atmosphere. Fortunately, such volcanoes erupt on average several times per 100,000 years. About one of them, located on the territory national park Yellowstone, scientists say that, in all likelihood, is ready for the next eruption.

The largest of the observed eruptions is considered to be the activity of the Tambora volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. The eruption claimed the lives of 100,000 people. According to researchers, it is in Indonesia that the largest number of historically active volcanoes are located. There are 76 of them in total.

Most volcanoes appear on the borders tectonic plates that form the surface of the earth. Other volcanoes, such as Yellowstone, are located in other "hot spots" with magma erupting from the depths of the earth.

Iceland, also called the land of fire and ice, is endowed by nature with the largest number of volcanoes in the region, called the “mid-ocean Atlantic ridge”. The recent eruption of Eyjafjallajoku, which shocked many, is immeasurably weaker than the explosion of Scaptar, which caused terrible damage to the food reserves of the island and caused a famine that caused the death of twenty percent of the population.

Citing interesting facts about volcanoes, one cannot help but talk about the dire consequences of the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. As a result of the release of 22 million tons of sulfur compounds into the atmosphere of the planet, the temperature dropped by 0.5 degrees.

The ability of volcanoes to grow is interesting - the accumulating lava and ash increase its height.

Extinct volcanoes are called in the case when scientists believe that their eruptions will no longer occur. Volcanoes with activity that has subsided for a while are said to be dormant.

If in the course of a volcanic eruption the walls holding back the lava are destroyed, then a huge crater appears, called the caldera.

Mount Kelimutu, located in Indonesia, has three unusual lakes. The water in each of them periodically acquires different colors - turquoise, green, black or red. These transformations are caused by the reaction of volcanic gases that enter into a chemical reaction with various minerals that are dissolved in water. This is the reason for the change in the color of the lakes.

The highest volcano on Earth is considered mauna loa in Hawaii. Its height is 4 thousand meters above sea level. There are five volcanoes on this island.

Volcanic eruptions emit small particles of ash into the atmosphere that can scatter the sun's rays. This gives the atmosphere coral and orange hues and adds color to the sunsets.

Most of the islands Atlantic Ocean formed as a result of volcanic activity.

Among the attractions of the island of Lanzarote from the group canary islands a restaurant with the sonorous name El Diablo (translated from Spanish as "devil"). The chefs of this restaurant prepare food directly above the mouth of an active volcano. Note that its temperature exceeds 400 °C.

Scientists attribute the Indonesian archipelago to a part of the earth's crust that is in the process of becoming. At the same time, some islands gradually or unexpectedly emerge from the depths of the sea, while others sink into it. This is a consequence of frequent earthquakes, the impact of a large number of active volcanoes, as well as the growth of coral reefs. Such changes require frequent adjustments to the map of Indonesia.

Located on the island of Kiu Shiu in Japan, the volcano called Aso is the largest volcano in the world. The crater of the volcano has a width of 14 kilometers, a length of 23 kilometers and a depth of 500 meters.

The frequency of eruptions located in El Salvador, Izalco volcano is 8 minutes. Over the two hundred years of activity of the volcano, more than 12 million of its eruptions have occurred.

Interesting video. Volcano of Fear: