What are volcanoes. Large volcanoes in Russia

Volcanoes and their features, continents without volcanoes and with a large number of them. Highest and largest volcanoes world, Europe, Russia and the USA. The danger of the explosion of the Yellowstone volcano.

Is there a continent where there are no volcanoes?

The question on which continent there are no volcanoes can be bewildering. Indeed, these huge mountains, ejecting fire and lava, are all over the globe. Even in Antarctica, on the ice-covered mainland, there are several extinct volcanoes! However, scientific facts prove that there is one continent on our planet where there are no volcanoes at all.

Australia is a place where there are no volcanoes. To understand the reason for this, one should recall the nature of such mountains. Volcanoes arise at fault points, at the boundaries of tectonic plates. In these zones, magma comes closest to the surface and can slosh onto it. And volcanoes in this case serve as a crack in the crust, through which magma pours out.

Not in Australia active volcanoes just because the mainland is far from faults. Australia is located in the very center of the Australian Plate, and therefore tectonic processes, including volcanism, almost do not occur here.

Why are there so many volcanoes in Japan?

Australia's antipode in terms of volcanism can be called Japan. Unlike the calm mainland, the islands of Japan are located in the most dangerous tectonic zone in the world. If Australia lies on one tectonic plate, then Japan is located at the junction of four! The Eurasian, Pacific, North American and Philippine plates converge at this point, creating faults and tectonic belts (see the picture below, Japan is marked with a yellow circle)

What explains the presence of volcanoes in Japan is understandable, but their number is amazing. In total, there are more than 450 fiery mountains here, 110 of which are active, that is, they often erupt. Mount Fuji is also the highest point in the country. True, Mount Fuji is considered a dormant volcano, because the last eruption here occurred in 1707!

A large number of volcanoes in Japan are closely associated with earthquakes. This region is part of the Ring of Fire tectonic mobile belt. This zone extends around the circumference Pacific Ocean. There are frequent earthquakes and volcanic explosions.

What volcanoes are in Europe?

There are many dangerous, extinct and active volcanoes on the European continent. But only the eruption of some volcanoes became a legend and these events entered the history of the world.

Vesuvius volcano in Italy

This famous volcano located on the territory modern Italy, near the city of Naples. This is the only active volcano located on the continental part of Europe. The eruption of Vesuvius is quite well known to us from history. It was because of him that in 79 AD the densely populated ancient city Pompeii was buried under a huge amount of lava and volcanic ash. At the same time, other 2 ancient cities disappeared from the face of the earth: Herculaneum and Oplontis. This tragedy formed the basis of many paintings and films.

Santorini

This gentle volcano is located on Greek island Thira in the Aegean. According to history in 1645-1600 BC. e. there was a massive volcanic eruption. The volcano towered high above the ground and the eruption was so powerful that its walls collapsed, because of this a high tsunami wave of 100 meters formed, which covered the islands. Some scientists believe that it was this eruption that destroyed the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete.

Sicilian Etna

The highest volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, is located on Italian island Sicily. Etna is almost 2 times higher than Visuvius. Since this is an active volcano, its height is constantly changing. This volcano erupts on average 3 times a month, and once every 150 years it destroys the neighboring village. The inhabitants of the island adore their volcano, as it is considered not dangerous. After all, periodically erupting, the volcano cannot accumulate strength and energy for a more destructive eruption. Tourists love to visit this volcano, even during the eruption. If you follow all safety measures and are not near the crater during the eruption, then you can even run away from the erupting lava.

What are the highest and largest volcanoes in the world?

The largest volcano in the world is the title that Mauna Loa and the Tamu Massif argue for. The first volcano is located on Hawaiian Islands and is valid. Mauna Loa last erupted recently, in 1984. The volume of the volcano is 75000 cubic km, and the height is 10168 m! The Tamu Massif is an underwater extinct volcano in the Pacific Northwest. Its volume reaches 2.5 million cubic kilometers, but scientists argue whether this giant can be considered a separate volcano.

Other record holders and simply impressive volcanoes:

• - Mauna Kea - the highest extinct volcano and the mountain with the highest absolute altitude. Taking into account the underwater part, this mountain exceeds Everest by almost 2 km, having a height of 10203 m.
• - Lullaillaco is the highest of the active volcanoes. This mountain rises in the Andes at 6739 m. The last time the eruption was observed in 1877.
• - Klyuchevskaya Sopka is a volcano in Kamchatka, the highest active volcano in Eurasia. Its height is 4835 m, and it erupted on April 25, 2016!

• - Erebus - this volcano is located in Antarctica. It is the southernmost such formation, while constantly operating!

Yellowstone is the most dangerous volcano in the US

In the USA there is a huge volcano called Yellowstone. This is a caldera - a large round basin left after the collapse of the walls of the volcano. The dimensions of the giant are 55x72 km! Researchers are convinced that one day Yellowstone will explode. The danger of such an explosion lies in the size of the volcano. After the eruption, volcanic ash will close the atmosphere. This will cause climate change, cooling, acid rain. If the Yellowstone Volcano explodes, many species of plants and animals will die. Human existence will also be threatened.

30.12.2015 07:26

The strongest eruption of Mount Etna in Sicily, which happened the other day, made me think of other volcanoes, including those located in densely populated areas.

1. Mount Etna. Sicily, Italy

The eruption of the volcano, which happened on the night of December 4-5, was the strongest in the last two decades. The lava fountain reached one kilometer, and the ash stream ejected along with the lava rose three kilometers above the volcano. As a result, the nearby city of Messina was covered in ash, and the airport located near Etna was closed.

Tourists visiting Sicily have a great chance of seeing Etna erupt. In the photo: the activity of the volcano in 2012

2 Calbuco Volcano, Chile

Calbuco, located in the Llanquihue National Reserve of Chile, 900 km from the country's capital Santiago, has erupted several times this year. In April, the authorities evacuated about 4 thousand people from the vicinity of the volcano and declared the highest level of danger - "red". Flights were also canceled in the area of ​​the eruption.

Photo: "Calbuco22-4-15" by Aeveraal - Own work. Wikipedia

Calbuco volcano eruption. The villages at the foot of Kalkubo were covered with a layer of volcanic ash.

3. Puehue Volcano, Chile

The Puyehue volcano eruption, which occurred in June 2015 after half a century of silence, had repercussions around the world. The Chilean authorities evacuated about 3.5 thousand people in the south of the country. A cloud of dust, ejected to a height of many kilometers, went to trip around the world, and as a result, flights had to be canceled not only in Chile, but also in New Zealand and Australia.

Photo: "Puyehue Cordon Caulle erupting vent, February 2012" by Captainkayla - Photo taken on fieldwork at at Puyehue Cordon Caulle in Chile. Wikipedia

Eruption of Puyehue volcano. Resort town San Carlos de Bariloche in Chile's neighbor Argentina was covered in 10 cm of ash

4. Volcano. Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland

The volcanic eruption began on March 21, 2010 and was remembered for a long time not only by the Icelanders, but also by the inhabitants of the whole world. Eyjafjallajokull woke up for the first time in 200 years, and the eruption was so powerful that the Icelandic authorities introduced a state of emergency in the country.

Traffic was blocked on nearby roads and some flights were cancelled. Another eruption occurred on the night of April 14. The authorities evacuated about 800 people, and air space over a large area of ​​northern Europe was blocked.

5 Mount Sinabung, Indonesia

The Sinaburg volcano in Sumatra has been sleeping for 400 years, but in 2010 it decided to wake up.

Until it came to a strong eruption, and locals gradually become accustomed to the activity of the mountain and pay little attention to it.

Volcanoes are geological formations that form above cracks in, through which lava, ash, loose rocks, boiling gases and water break out.

Active volcanoes include volcanoes that erupted in historical time or showed other signs of activity (emission of gases and steam, etc.). Some scientists consider active those volcanoes, which are reliably known to have erupted within the last 10 thousand years.

The largest cluster of active volcanoes in a limited area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe planet is located in the zone of the Malay Archipelago - the largest on Earth, located between the mainland and. On the territory of Russia, the largest number of active volcanoes is in the area of ​​the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka. Approximately 60 volcanoes erupt every year, and about a third of them erupted in the previous year. There is information about 627 volcanoes that have erupted over the past 10 thousand years.

Despite their lethality, various volcanoes have long attracted man. Previously, people were attracted by fertile soils enriched with minerals and trace elements due to the activity of volcanoes, now tourists are attracted by the beauty and majesty of these natural objects.

Where are the largest volcanoes on the world map?

Most of today's active volcanoes are located in Pacific volcanic ring- the area in which the largest number of eruptions and 90% of earthquakes on our planet occur.

The second most powerful seismic zone is the Mediterranean fold belt, stretching from the Indonesian islands to.

The strongest eruption in history

The most destructive eruption in terms of its consequences is considered to be a catastrophe that occurred in 1883 during an explosion. Krakatoa volcano located in . During this cataclysm, more than 36 thousand people died, more than 165 cities and villages were completely destroyed, and ash was thrown to a height of 70 kilometers.

The force of the explosion during the eruption exceeded the force of the nuclear bomb explosion over Hiroshima by 10,000 times. Most of the deaths are the result of huge tsunami caused by the eruption. The island on which Krakatoa was located was almost completely destroyed during the disaster. The sound from the explosion spread to a distance of 5 thousand kilometers from the epicenter of the disaster.

Earth's Greatest Active Volcanic Mountains

The largest active volcanoes in the world in terms of volume:

• mauna loa, Hawaii, with a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers;
• kilimanjaro(Tanzania), which is considered dormant but potentially active, has a volume of 4,800 cubic kilometers;
• Volcano Sierra Negra located on Galapagos Islands(Ecuador) has a volume of 580 cubic kilometers.

Which country has the largest source of lava?

Unmatched in size Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa, which has a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The title of the highest is contested by 2 volcanoes from South America:

1. Llullaillaco, located on the border of Argentina and Chile with a height of more than 6 thousand meters;
2. Cotopaxi, located in Ecuador with a height of 5897 meters.

Description with titles

There are between 1000 and 1500 active volcanoes on our planet. Many of them are located close to densely populated areas and pose a threat to human life. The most dangerous volcanoes, which are under special supervision, are included in List of Volcanoes of the United Nations Decade.

Merapi

Merapi, which in Indonesian means "mountain of fire", recognized as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Asia. It is located in the south of the island of Java in Indonesia, and its peak rises to a height of 3 thousand meters.

Significant eruptions of Merapi occur with a frequency of about 7 years; during its history, Merapi has repeatedly caused the death of many people. In 1930, 1400 people became victims of the eruption, and in 2010 more than 350 thousand people had to be evacuated, 353 inhabitants of the island died.

Located near Merapi Yogyakarta city, in the agglomeration of which more than 2 million people live. For its activity and danger to people's lives, Merapi is included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Sakurajima

Sakurazdima volcano (Japan) is located on Kyushu island, its peak rises to a height of 1110 meters. The first eruption recorded by the chronicles occurred in 963, and the most powerful one dates back to 1914, but thanks to the tremors preceding it, most of the local residents managed to evacuate, “only” 35 people died.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the volcano has been constantly active. Every year there are thousands of small explosions and ash emissions.

In 2013, there was a large ash ejection, reaching a height of 4000 meters.

Sakurajima is also on the Volcanoes of the Decade list.

Aso

Aso Volcano is also located on Kyushu island in Japan. The highest point of Aso is at an altitude of 1592 meters. During the observation of the volcano, about 165 large and medium-sized eruptions occurred, many of which led to human casualties.

The last time people died as a result of volcanic eruptions in 1979, when 3 people died and 11 were injured. But Aso is dangerous not only for its eruptions, poisonous vapors of volcanic gas regularly poison tourists who try to conquer Aso. The last such incident occurred in 1997, when two climbers died.

The last eruption of Aso was noted in 2011, when ash was ejected to a height of up to 2 kilometers.

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Nyiragongo

Nyiragongo is located in DR Congo in the Virunga mountain range (Africa). In the crater of the volcano is the largest in the world lava lake, the depth of which can reach 3 kilometers. In 1977, the crater wall ruptured, resulting in a major lava flow to the surrounding area, resulting in the death of 70 people.

During observations of Nyiragongo since 1882, it was recorded 34 major volcanic eruptions. A feature of the Nyiragongo eruptions is an extremely fast flow of lava, reaching a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. During a major eruption in 2002, 400,000 residents of the city of Goma, located near the volcano, were evacuated. Nevertheless, 147 of them died as a result of this cataclysm, and the city itself received significant damage.

All these factors make Nyiragongo one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, for which he was rightly included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Galeras

Galeras volcano is located in Colombia near the city of Pasto, whose population is more than 400 thousand people. Its height exceeds 4200 meters. Due to its danger, Galeras has been included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade that pose the greatest threat in the foreseeable future.

It is believed that over the past 7000 years, Galeras has experienced at least 6 major eruptions, in 1993 the last of them was recorded.

mauna loa

Mauna Loa Volcano is located on Hawaiian Islands owned by the United States of America. This giant volcano occupies more than half the area of ​​Hawaii, the height of the peak is 4169 meters above sea level, but most of the volcano is located under water. Together with the underwater part, its height from the base to the top reaches 9170 meters, which exceeds the height of Everest.

Mauna Loa eruptions occur along the so-called Hawaiian type with an outpouring of lava, but without explosions and large ash emissions. Observations of the volcano have been conducted only since 1832, but during this time 39 major eruptions of Mauna Loa were recorded. This volcano was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade due to the huge lava flows that accompany the eruption and the densely populated area in its immediate vicinity.

The top of the volcano and its slopes are included in the list world heritage UNESCO.

Colima

The most active volcano in Central America is located in the state of Jalisco. Due to its activity, Colima received the nickname "little Vesuvius", its height exceeds 3800 meters.

Over the past 450 years, more than 40 large and medium-sized volcanic eruptions have been recorded, the last of which occurred on September 12, 2016. More than 400 thousand people live near Colima, which makes it most dangerous volcano America. For this reason, the volcano was included in the Volcanoes of the Decade list.

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Vesuvius

Most famous volcano the world is located on the Apennine Peninsula in. The lone peak of Vesuvius, 1281 meters high, rises above the spacious fields of the province of Campania and is part of the Apennine mountain system.

Located just 15 kilometers from Naples, Vesuvius has repeatedly entered history with its catastrophic eruptions, about 80 large ones alone were recorded. In 79 AD, the most destructive eruption of Vesuvius, during which famous cities were killed:

• Pompeii;
• Oplontis;
• Herculaneum;
• Stabiae.

It is believed that at least 16,000 people died during this cataclysm.

In 1944, the last this moment the eruption of Vesuvius, cities were destroyed during this natural disaster Weight And San Sebastiano, 27 people became victims. Since then, Vesuvius has not shown much activity, but the danger of a new eruption always remains. Vesuvius is one of the main attractions of the province of Campania and its visit is included in sightseeing tour when traveling to Naples.

Etna

Another famous volcano in Italy is located in the east of the island of Sicily and is highest volcano, rising to a height of 2329 meters. Etna eruptions are observed several times a year. History has recorded several major eruptions of this volcano, which led to devastating consequences:

1. Destroyed in 122 AD city ​​of Catania;
2. In 1169, Etna died during a massive eruption. 15 thousand people;
3. In 1669, Catania suffered again, houses were destroyed 27 thousand people;
4. In 1928, the ancient Mascali city.

Despite the danger of the volcano, the inhabitants of the island continue to settle on its slopes. The reason for this is fertile soil, enriched with minerals and trace elements contained in the cooled lava flows and ash.

Etna is one of the main natural attractions of Sicily. Tourists from all over the world come to see the volcano and climb to its top.

popocatepetl

Volcano Popocatepetl, or El Popo, as the locals affectionately call it, is located in Mexico, 70 kilometers from the capital of this country, the city of Mexico City. The height of the volcano is almost 5500 meters. Over the past 500 years, Popocatepetl has erupted more than 15 times, with the latest occurring as recently as 2015. An extinct volcano is located near Popocatepetl Istaxihuatl.

A trip to these volcanoes is an integral part of the excursion program when visiting Mexico City.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka

The highest volcano in Eurasia is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula and is considered the most famous of the many volcanoes in Kamchatka. Highest point outside Caucasus mountains reaches a height of 4750 meters. It is the most active volcano in Eurasia, on average its eruptions occur almost every year. The last significant eruption occurred in 2013, the height of the ash emission was 10-12 kilometers. The eruption was accompanied by mud flows and ashfall.

Cotopaxi

The active volcano Cotopaxi is located in South America on the territory of the state Ecuador in the Andean mountain system. The height of the top of Cotopaxi is 5897 meters. Over the entire history of observations, 86 eruptions have been recorded, the largest of which led to the complete destruction of the city of Latacunga in 1786. The last activity of Cotopaxi was seen in 1942, after which the volcano is still dormant.

Famous extinct giants

In addition to active volcanoes, there are many extinct volcanoes on our planet that do not show volcanic activity.

Supreme

The tallest extinct volcano in the world aconcagua, is located in Argentina and is part of mountain system Andes. Aconcagua is not only the highest extinct volcano in the world, but also the highest peak in America, Western and Southern hemispheres. The height of Aconcagua exceeds 6950 meters.

sleeping giants

Many extinct volcanoes are now considered just mountains, although some of them could potentially “wake up” and begin to show activity. Such volcanoes, which may become active in the future, are called "asleep".

• famous Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa) is a dormant volcano that does not show active activity. Scientists believe that one day Kilimanjaro may wake up, then this potential volcano will become one of the highest in the world, because the height of Kilimanjaro is 5895 meters above sea level.

colossal supervolcano yellowstone considered extinct, but scientists have found that there is little activity in it, so now Yellowstone is categorized as dormant volcanoes. The last time the giant erupted almost a million years ago.

It is believed that if Yellowstone wakes up, the potential eruption will become one of the largest disasters in the history of the Earth, every third inhabitant of the planet will die, and several US states will be completely destroyed.

Yellowstone eruption will provoke many earthquakes, giant tsunami waves and eruptions of other volcanoes, which will affect almost every inhabitant of the planet. The ash thrown out by the volcano will cover the surface of the earth from the sun for a year and a half, and a volcanic winter will come throughout the planet.

However, not all scientists believe that the consequences of this cataclysm will be so serious. In any case, the eruption of this volcano remains one of the main potential threats to humans.

• The largest extinct volcano in Russia - - 5642 meters. It is located on the border of the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Related to the list the highest peaks six parts of the world. Scientists consider the activity of the volcano not so much completed as fading.
• The largest volcano of our time cannot be visited and is very difficult to see, as it is under water. array Tamu located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and is located about 1600 kilometers east of Japanese islands. Its dimensions are 650 by 450 kilometers; in terms of its scale, the array is one of the largest not only on Earth, but in the entire solar system. The last volcanic eruption occurred 140 million years ago.
• dormant volcanoes Big and Small Ararat are now located on the territory and belong to the category of volcanoes that do not show volcanic activity. The top of Mount Ararat, reaching 5165 meters, is the highest point Turkey.
• One of the highest peaks of the Caucasus, Mount Kazbek is also an extinct volcano. Kazbek is located on the border with Russia, the highest point of the mountain is located at an altitude of more than 5 kilometers. During research, volcanic ash from an eruption that allegedly occurred 40 thousand years ago was found in one of the caves of Kazbek.

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