Volcanoes of the world: active and extinct volcanoes. The history of the six most dangerous volcanoes in the world

August 24-25, 79 AD an eruption occurred that was considered extinct Mount Vesuvius, located on the shores of the 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 about two thousand people died from poisonous sulfurous gases on the streets and in the houses of the city. 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 larger cities were destroyed, 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 the western part of 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 hit the neighboring islands and drowned 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. For three years after Tambora's eruption, a veil of dust and ash particles enveloped the entire globe, 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". The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere has fallen by about one degree, and in some areas even by 3-5 degrees. Large areas of crops suffered from spring and summer frosts on the soil, 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 on Martinique, one of the islands of the Caribbean, literally exploded into 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 the Pacific Ocean. For a 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 Katmai National Park and Reserve, formed in 1980.

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 death toll included those who died from exacerbations of lung and heart diseases and other chronic diseases caused by ash emissions, as well as 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 roads, demolished power lines 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, about 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless

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

Vesuvius is an amazing volcano. Firstly, the leader in popularity, breaking all records of recognition, secondly, a long-liver (he declared himself even before ancient times and the famous Pompeii), thirdly, perhaps one of the most prolific volcanoes in eruptions, and, thirdly, fourth, the most unpredictable. None of the scientists can even guess when Vesuvius will once again begin to "play pranks." Only strong eruptions for the entire time of his “professional activity” were recorded in the amount of 80 pieces, and even mediocre and weak ones are tired of counting. At the same time, Vesuvius is clearly not going to retire. At its top, tourists can safely bake eggs - the temperature of the soil is so high.

This is probably why the "anniversaries of pranks" of this world-famous volcano, which lives in sunny Italy near Naples, can be celebrated almost every month. What we, in fact, are doing, dedicating our TOP-10 of the most famous volcanoes in the world to one of the dates of the eruption of Vesuvius.

Place 10. The most difficult to pronounce. I don’t know how big and powerful the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull is compared to Vesuvius, but it is reliably known that in 2010 it caused a lot of trouble to air carriers. Due to the wild amount of volcanic ash and steam, some flights were canceled and airports in Glasgow, Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Belfast Dublin, Stockholm and Oslo were stopped. But even this was not enough for the Icelandic volcano. He has created an incredible amount of problems for many announcers, who must have trained long and hard to pronounce his name on one breath.

Place 9. The coldest. Surprisingly, it is a fact: volcanoes are the most tenacious creatures, found almost everywhere. Here, it would seem, such a "hot thing" cannot live at minus fifty, but no! Volcanoes also live quietly at the South Pole, in Antarctica. The highest of the Antarctic volcanoes is Mount Sidley, "growth" of 4285 meters. By the way, it is also the most inaccessible volcano. People conquered it only in 1990.

Place 8. The most legendary. Two volcanoes are fighting for the title of the most legendary at once. One of them is Mexican Popocatepetl, who last went "to work" in 2007, and the other is European Elbrus. According to legend, Popocatepetl arose from ... strong love. The daughter of the Aztec ruler Istaxihuatl fell in love with a simple warrior Popocatepetl. However, the pope was against this unequal union and sent the young man to war, after which he spread the rumor about his imminent death. The daughter, unable to withstand the blow, committed suicide, and when Popokatepetl found out about this alive and unharmed, he decided that life without a sweetheart is not life. And he followed his beloved to another world. The gods, amazed by the power of the love of young people, decided to turn them into rocks so that they would stay next to each other forever. Well, on the top of Elbrus, myths and legends alternately settled either genies, or the famous bird Simurgh, or even left the chained Prometheus there.

Place 7. Most Religious. Etna is a volcano, like Vesuvius, prolific. The eruptions alone exceeded almost two hundred. Almost every 150 years, Etna wakes up from hunger and begins to eat nearby cities. However, people adore her not for her bloodthirstiness, but for her reverence for believers and her healing gift. Several facts of the miraculous healing of the sick who visited Etna are known, and after the stream of red-hot lava froze in reverence before the Catholic procession in 1928, the Sicilians made Etna one of the symbols of the island. Also, this volcano is famous for its blues festivals, which are arranged during his sleep.

Place 6. The fastest. Usually volcanoes are unpredictable, but sometimes scientists manage to find out in advance about the impending eruption. However, as in that parable about the boy and the wolves, some residents of nearby cities do not believe in such predictions. And very in vain. So on November 13, 1985, the Colombian volcano Nevado del Ruiz completely destroyed the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers from the “hot thing” with a height of 5400 meters. At the same time, everything about everything at the volcano took ... only 10 minutes! The death toll exceeded 20 thousand people. But scientists have warned...

Place 5. The most fabulous. Remember the tale of the "Frog Princess"? To defeat Koshchei the Immortal, Ivan Tsarevich had to get a needle that was in an egg, an egg in a duck, a duck in a hare, a hare in a chest, and a chest on a tree. It is on the principle of "thing in things" that the Russian volcano Krenitsyn is complicated. It is "registered" on the Kuril Islands and is considered the largest in terms of area, as it is located in Lake Koltsevoe (diameter about 7 kilometers), which is located in another, more ancient, crater. So you can admire its beauties only from a helicopter. By the way, the volcano got its name in honor of the Russian navigator Pyotr Kuzmich Krenitsyn.

Place 4. The most influential. Indonesia is often referred to as the land of volcanoes. It was here that the most influential of them was born - Krakatoa, which blew up the world on August 15, 1883. Its eruption caused a shock wave that circled the globe 7 times and a giant tsunami that wiped out 295 cities and towns in Java and Sumatra. As a result of his activities, more than 36 thousand people died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The volcanic dust of Krakatoa surrounded the planet in a cloud, painting sunrises and sunsets in royal purple. Many scientists believe that it was this eruption that affected the ecology of the Earth.

Location 3. The most famous of the newcomers. By the way, today Vesuvius is far from the only popular volcano. It was pushed by the Russian Plosky Tolbachik, who began erupting back in November 2012. Since then, scientists from all over the world and just curious tourists flock to it in droves. The Kamchatka volcano also gave the world new copper minerals - melanotallite, ponomarevite, piipite, fedotovite, kamchatkit, klyuchevsky, alumoklyuchevskite and, of course, tolbachite.

Place 2. The highest. Well, what about in the TOP-10 without the highest?! They are rightfully a South American active volcano with a funny name for the Russians Llyulyaylyako. Its absolute height is 6739 meters, relative - almost 2.5 kilometers. It would seem that this is all. An, no! Lullaillaco is known for its eternal ice cap, border state (located on the border of Chile and Argentina), dry neighbor (Atacama Desert) and archaeological finds. In 1999, the mummified bodies of three children, allegedly sacrificed 500 years ago, were discovered on the top of the volcano.

Place 1. The most romantic. Don't go to the fortuneteller here! Without words, it is clear that Mount Fuji will be recognized as the most romantic, refined, attractive, gentle and charming. It is to her that countless haiku, drawings, paintings and photographs are dedicated. Scientists consider Fuji to be an active volcano, although weakly active (the last eruption was recorded in 1707-1708). By the way, among the countless drawings of this beauty, there is not one where the eruption itself would be captured. Fuji's neighbors include not only a Shinto shrine, a weather station, and a post office, but also the gloomy Aokigahara suicide forest, located right at the foot of the volcano. But such a neighborhood does not bother Fujiyama at all. The Japanese believe that the forest only gives a veil of mystery and mysticism to their favorite, attracting tourists from all countries. However, this does not prevent the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun from placing warning signs with the telephone numbers of psychologists throughout Aokigahara. Yes, just in case.

There is an excessive accumulation of very hot magma, which makes its way to the surface of the earth through holes in the earth's crust, that is, through craters. When this magma reaches the surface, the consequences are catastrophic.
We have collected for your attention the ten most dangerous volcanoes in the world that can erupt at any time and create havoc around in a matter of hours.

Ten most dangerous volcanoes in the world

10. Taal Volcano, Philippines

9. Volcano Ulavun, Papua New Guinea

Ulavun is an active volcano. Since the 1700s, 22 eruptions have been recorded. Locals regularly watch as tiny explosions occur in the crater of the volcano with a splash of lava and ash.

8. Volcano Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo

One of the last strong eruptions in 1977 led to the death of several hundred people. There could have been much more victims if people had not evacuated in time. The lava erupted by the volcano destroyed almost all residential buildings located at the foot of Nyiragongo.

7. Mount Merapi, Indonesia

About 1,300 people died during the last major eruption of Mount Merapi, which occurred in 1930. Since then, the government of the city of Yogyakarta, which is located on the slope of the volcano, has developed a special plan for the evacuation of citizens.

6. Galeras Volcano, Colombia

In modern times, the volcano became active in 1978, but then it showed little activity. Then another ten years later another eruption happened. But, the worst thing is that since 2000, Galeras began to erupt regularly, albeit with little force.

5. Sakurajima volcano, Japan

Every year, scientists record small eruptions from the crater of this volcano, during which ash is thrown into the atmosphere and scattered throughout the surroundings. If a more serious eruption occurs, then a large number of residents of the nearby city of Kagoshima will be in mortal danger.

4. Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico

The last time the eruption occurred in 2000. Then it was possible to evacuate people in time and save thousands of lives that could have been carried away by one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.

3. Yellowstone Caldera, USA

The Yellowstone Caldera is indeed huge. People have never witnessed its eruption, but scientists managed to find out that the last eruption of this volcano occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago. Experts suggest that the volume of lava "splattered" on the surface that period of time was 25 thousand times greater than the eruption of St. Helens in 1980.

2. Mount Vesuvius, Italy

Vesuvius is the only volcano on the European continent that has been active in the last century. Its most famous eruption occurred in AD 79, which buried the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under lava.

1. Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaii

Mauna Laon also poses another devastating environmental threat in the form of landslides. Although this is a very rare process, it is really worth being afraid of.

Today you will learn interesting facts about the largest volcano in search of which we will visit the island of Hawaii.

A huge volcano named Mauna Loa, which literally means “Long Mountain” in Hawaiian, occupies most of the island and is one of the most active on the planet. Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times since it was first documented in 1843.

The most recent volcanic eruption occurred in 1984, as a result of which 30,000 acres of land were covered with lava, and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe island increased by 180 hectares, reclaiming space from the sea.

What is the size of the largest volcano on Earth? The height of the volcano above sea level is 4169 meters, but this is not its true height. If you measure the height of Mauna Loa from the bottom, then its height will be about 9,000 meters, which is higher than Mount Everest.

The famous Hawaiian volcano is not only the largest and most powerful, but also the most massive. If you measure its volume from the bottom to the top, then an impressive figure will come out - 75,000 cubic kilometers.

In one eruption, Mauna Loa erupts so much lava that its volume is equal to the volume of Vesuvius, the famous volcano in Italy.

There are many legends around this Hawaiian volcano. One of which is as follows. The mistress of volcanoes, the goddess Pele, was expelled by her older sister, the goddess of water and the sea. Every time Pele tried to build a house for herself, her sister sent huge waves to destroy everything.

In the end, Pele settled on a large island and made herself a big house Mauna Loa, so big that not a single wave could reach it.

There is also a legend that Pele has a faithful white dog and she sends him to the slopes of the volcano to warn people of danger. In 1959, during the research of this powerful volcano, a white dog was seen on the slopes. All attempts to tame or catch this white dog were in vain. In December of the same year, one of the craters erupted and the dogs disappeared. In 1966, a white dog was again seen on the mountain, in the same year Mauna Loa exploded with a strong eruption.

Volcanoes, for all their danger, are one of the most beautiful and majestic wonders of nature. Active volcanoes look especially beautiful at night. But this beauty brings death to everything around. Lava, volcanic bombs, pyroclastic flows, consisting of hot volcanic gases, ash and stones, can wipe out even large cities from the face of the earth. Mankind managed to be convinced of the incredible power of volcanoes during the infamous eruption of Vesuvius, which killed the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabiae. And there are many such examples in history.

The largest volcanoes in the world - let's talk today about these dangerous, but beautiful giants. Our list includes volcanoes of varying degrees of activity - from conditionally dormant to active. The main selection criterion was their size.

Height 5230 meters

Opens the rating of the largest volcanoes on Earth active stratovolcanolocated in Ecuador. Its height is 5230 meters. The top of the volcano consists of three craters with a diameter of 50 to 100 meters. Sangai is one of the youngest and most restless volcanoes in South America. Its first eruption occurred in 1628. The last one took place in 2007. Now the volcanic activity of the giant from the Equator is estimated as moderate. Tourists who have visited the Sangay National Park, on the territory of which the volcano is located, can climb to its peak.

Height 5,455 meters

On the 9th place among the largest volcanoes in the world -. It is located in the Mexican Highlands. The height of the volcano is 5455 meters. Even in a calm state, the volcano is constantly shrouded in a cloud of gases and ash. Its danger lies in the fact that there are densely populated areas around the volcano, and Mexico City is located 60 kilometers from it. The last eruption of the giant happened quite recently - on March 27, 2016, it threw out a kilometer column of ash. The next day, Popocatepetl calmed down. In the event of a strong eruption of the Mexican giant, it will threaten the safety of several million people.

Height 5642 meters

There are large volcanoes in Europe as well. In the North Caucasus, there is a stratovolcano, whose height is 5642 meters. This is the highest peak in Russia. Elbrus is one of the seven highest mountain peaks on the planet. Regarding the activity of the giant, the opinion of scientists differs. Some consider it an extinct volcano, while others consider it to be fading. Sometimes Elbrus becomes the center of small earthquakes. In some places on its surface, sulfurous gases come out of cracks. Scientists who believe that Elbrus may wake up in the future are of the opinion that the nature of its eruption will be explosive.

Altitude 5,675 meters

Seventh place in the list of the largest volcanoes on Earth is occupied by the highest peak in Mexico. The height of the volcano is 5675 meters. It last erupted in 1687. Now Orizaba is considered a dormant volcano. From its top, stunning panoramic views open up. In order to protect the volcano, a reserve was created.

Height 5,822 meters

On the 6th place in the list of the largest volcanoes is located in the south of Peru. Its height is 5822 meters. Misty is an active volcano. It last erupted in 1985. In January 2016, an increase in fumarolic activity was observed on the volcano - steam and gas holes appeared. This is one of the signs of an impending eruption. In 1998, six Inca mummies were found near the inner crater of the volcano.

An interesting fact is that many buildings in the city of Arequipa, located 17 kilometers from the volcano, are built from white deposits of Misti pyroclastic flows. Therefore, Arequipa is called the "White City".

Altitude 5,895 meters

The fifth place among the largest volcanoes on the planet is occupied by the highest point of the African continent -. Scientists have concluded that this giant stratovolcano with a height of 5895 meters is potentially active. Now he periodically emits gases and there is a possibility of the collapse of the crater of the volcano, which can provoke its eruption. There is no documentary evidence of the activity of Kilimanjaro, but there are legends of local residents that speak of an eruption that occurred about 200 years ago.

Altitude 5,897 meters

In fourth place in the list of the largest volcanoes on Earth is the second largest peak of Ecuador. This is an active volcano, whose height is 5897 meters. The first time its activity was recorded in 1534. Since then, the volcano has erupted more than 50 times. The last strong eruption of Kotpahi happened in August 2015.

Height 6 145 meters

Active stratovolcano, located in Chile, ranks 3rd among the largest volcanoes in the world. Its height is 6145 meters. The last volcanic eruption occurred in 1960.

Height 4205 meters

The second place among the largest volcanoes in the world is occupied by a volcano located on the Hawaiian Islands. In terms of volume, it is the largest volcano on Earth, containing over 32 cubic kilometers of magma. A giant was formed more than 700 thousand years ago. Mauna Loa is an active volcano. In 1984, its eruption lasted almost a month and caused great damage to the locals and the area surrounding the volcano.

Height 6,739 meters

In first place among the largest volcanoes in the world is an active starter volcano. It is located on the border of Argentina and Chile. Its height is 6739 meters. The giant's last eruption took place in 1877. Now it is in the solfataric stage - from time to time the volcano releases sulfurous gases and water vapor. In 1952, during the first ascent of Llullaillaco, an ancient Inca sanctuary was found. Later, on the slopes of the volcano, archaeologists discovered three child mummies. Most likely, they were sacrificed.

This is interesting. The Yellowstone caldera, which is approximately 55 km by 72 km in size, is called a supervolcano. It is located in Yellowstone National Park USA. The volcano has not been active for 640 thousand years. Beneath its crater is a magma bubble over 8,000 meters deep. During its existence, the supervolcano erupted three times. Each time, this caused major cataclysms that changed the face of the Earth at the site of the eruption. When the supervolcano wakes up again, it is impossible to predict. Only one thing can be said with certainty - a cataclysm of this magnitude is capable of putting the existence of our civilization on the brink.