Volcanic activity is one of the forces of nature that can change the face of the Earth. And at the present moment, the underground forces continue their titanic work. Created from many layers of lava, of monstrous size, the largest volcanoes in the world lurk beneath the surface of the water or hang over nearby cities.
Which of them are considered the largest? Scientists have not yet come to a consensus. Some believe that the rating should be based on the height above sea level. Others - that it is necessary to take into account the area over which lava flows spread, forming a new surface. Still others - that the human factor is most important: the danger to human settlements.
Therefore, for the rating of the largest volcanoes on planet Earth, we selected representatives of all types - the largest in area, the highest, and the most dangerous active and extinct volcanoes.
10. Etna - height 3,295 meters
The highest volcano in Europe is located on the island of Sicily and is still active. The last eruption began on 25.12.2018. Due to frequent eruptions, it is impossible to determine its exact height – it is constantly changing. For example, over the past 30 years, Etna has “lost” more than 20 meters in height. At the moment, it rises above the island at 3,295 m.
The mountain is famous for its nasty character - its slopes are dotted with craters, from which lava steadily pours out every two or three months. About once a century, the eruptions are larger, posing a direct danger to human settlements inhabiting the slopes. However, this does not stop stubborn people - due to frequent eruptions, the soil on the slopes of the mountain is rich in elements useful for plants, allowing large harvests.
9. Erebus - 3,794 meters
While other volcanoes are located in the inhabited part of the world, Erebus is located on the uninhabited continent of Antarctica. It is the largest active volcano in the southern polar region. Despite the lifeless ice expanses surrounding it, Erebus leads a very active life. And its geographical location – right above several faults in the earth’s crust – contributes greatly to this.
Even though no people live near Erebus, it still has a negative impact on their lives. From the depths of the volcano, streams of gases contained within the Earth, mainly methane and hydrogen, periodically burst out, destroying the ozone layer. It is believed that the smallest thickness of the ozone sea is exactly in the area of the volcano's activity.
8. Klyuchevskaya Sopka - 4,835 meters
Like Etna, the height of Klyuchevskoy volcano is constantly changing. Although it has lost about 15 meters since the eruption five years ago, it still remains the highest active volcano in Russia and Asia.
Although Klyuchevskogo volcano loses in frequency compared to other Kamchatka peaks, it successfully compensates for this with power. For example, the eruption of 1938 lasted 13 months and caused the formation of several craters up to 1,900 m high. And the eruption of 1980 tore off and threw into the air to a height of more than 500 m a block of ice with an area of at least half a kilometer.
But the most spectacular and most terrible eruption was in 1994, when an impressive column of ash more than 12 km high rose above the volcano, and a plume of volcanic ash extended from the site of the emission for many tens of kilometers and disappeared somewhere in the ocean.
7. Orizaba - 5,636 meters
"The volcano's summit must touch the sky," the ancient Incas must have thought, and they named it Citlaltepetl, or "Star Mountain." It is the highest active volcano in North and Central America, and the third-highest peak in the region. It is visible from afar - many miles from the shore, the cone of Orizaba can be seen from a ship sailing through the Gulf of Mexico to the port of Veracruz.
Although the volcano is currently dormant, its calm is deceptive – it led a very active existence from the moment the conquistadors arrived in these places until the 19th century, and in recent years, a station located at its foot has recorded constant internal activity.
6. Elbrus - 5,642 meters
The highest mountain is also the largest volcano in Russia and Europe. Glaciers descending from the snow-covered surface give rise to several important rivers that feed the plains of the Caucasus region.
In addition to its beauty, the snow-white cone with two peaks and a small saddle between them is distinguished by its meek and peaceful character. Elbrus has been sleeping for a long time, and its last eruption was more than 5,000 years ago. Despite its external severity, climbing Elbrus is easy and simple - the mountaineering routes to the top of the sleeping patriarch are some of the easiest.
5. Kilimanjaro - 5,885 meters
The magnificent beauty of Kilimanjaro is the calling card of Africa, its largest volcano. The sleeping giant actually consists of three volcanic cones that are visible from almost any point in neighboring Tanzania and Kenya.
Unlike many of the volcanoes in the rating, Kilimanjaro is the most famous volcano in the world, a typical stratovolcano. If you ask a child to draw it, most likely he will draw a conical mountain, from the top of which ash, burning gases and very viscous lava are erupting, which quickly hardens, building up the cone higher and higher. This is a stratovolcano. Kilimanjaro is 4,800 km3 in size and 5,885 m high. The volcano was last active at the dawn of mankind – 360,000 years ago.
4. Ojos del Salado - 6,893 meters
If the second and third places in the rating are the largest volcanoes in the world, if you count from the seabed, then Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano in the world located above the sea surface. It rises 6,893 m above the ground. The giant mountain is located on the border between Argentina and Chile.
Although the last active eruption of the volcano occurred before the invention of writing by mankind - no data about it has been preserved - Ojos del Salado cannot be called dormant in the full sense of the word. In the depths of the huge mountain, it seems that mysterious hidden work is taking place, the echo of which reaches the inhabitants of the ground in the form of clouds of steam and ash. The last such activity took place quite recently - in 1993.
3. Mauna Loa - 9,800 meters
Mauna Loa is an underwater volcano, the summit of which (along with five others) was the cause of the formation of the Big Island of the Hawaiian archipelago. The size of Mauna Loa is 40,000 km3, the area is 75,000 m2, and the height (if counted from the seabed) is as much as 9,800 m. And it is the highest active volcano in the world - Mauna Loa last erupted only 34 years ago, in 1984. In total, over the past 170 years, Mauna Loa has frightened people with its activity, throwing out lava, 33 times.
2. Mauna Kea - 10,058 meters
Mauna Loa's "sister" rises almost 4,267 m above sea level. Doesn't seem like much, right? However, Mauna Kea has more potential than meets the eye - its base is located deep under the water column at a depth of more than 6,000 m. This makes Mauna Kea the tallest mountain in the world. If it were located entirely on land, it would break the record for the highest volcanoes in the world, beating the "land" favorite Ojos del Salado by almost 3,000 m.
The summit of Mauna Kea has very low humidity and virtually no clouds, and is now home to one of the largest observatories in the world.
Mauna Kea arose over a hot spot on the earth, a place where hot, molten magma rises from the Earth's mantle. Over millions of years, the molten rock escaping created the surface of the entire Hawaiian archipelago. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano, meaning it has been inactive for more than 4,000 years and the hot spot has shifted. However, inactivity does not mean it will remain dormant forever.
1. The largest volcano in the world: Tamu Massif - 4000 meters
"What, only 4000 meters - and the largest volcano in the world?" - the reader may be indignant. Yes, Tamu's height is not very impressive. But let's take a closer look at it from all sides.
Most of the world's largest natural objects were discovered by mankind long ago, at the dawn of its existence. But the Tamu Massif, the largest volcano on planet Earth, managed to hide from people for many years.
It is amazing that humanity knew more about the huge volcanoes on Mars than about the giant mountain right under its nose. The reason for this is both its remote location (it is located more than 1,600 km east of Japan) and its depth. Its summit is immersed in the thickness of the World Ocean for 2,000 km. And only in 2013 did scientists find out that the mind-boggling mountain of lava on the ocean floor is actually a single volcano.
Its volume is approximately 2.5 million km3, and its area is more than 311 km2. Fortunately, it has been dormant for a long time - Tamu's last eruption was about 144 million years ago.
The most dangerous volcano in the world
The Yellowstone supervolcano is considered the most active and dangerous today. Located in a US national park, it poses a huge threat not only to the state of Wyoming, but to the entire planet. It is believed that an eruption of the Yellowstone Volcano could lead to climate change on the entire Earth.
The disaster would destroy more than 70% of the US territory. Magma and dust would cover the area with a 3-meter layer. The loss of more than 10 million lives would be caused, and the area would become uninhabitable due to high radiation levels.
Today, visiting the park is limited, and some areas are completely off-limits. Scientists are carefully studying the caldera, and an eruption could begin in the coming decades.
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