One of the first recorded eruptions in the history of the volcano, which caused great casualties, was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79, which covered the cities of Pompeii, Stabia and Herculaneum with volcanic ash. Of all the dangers that await mankind, powerful volcanoes are the most dangerous geological formations on the surface of our planet.
A special organization at the UN even compiled a list of the most dangerous volcanoes of recent decades. Based on the list and other information, we will make a rating and find out what is the most powerful volcano on Earth in the history of mankind.
List of the most powerful volcanoes on planet Earth:
12
Merapi Indonesia
Above the expanses of the island of Java at an altitude of 2,914 meters there is a crater of the most dangerous volcano of Southeast Asia. The eruptions of Merapi are fixed by specialists with a regularity of 7 years.
Merapi releases smoke every day, preventing people from forgetting that they can wake up at any moment. One of the last major disasters occurred in the mid-70s of the last century, when the village was covered with lava, and 29 people were killed.
11
Koryaksky. Russia
35 kilometers from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Koryaksky stratovolcano rises above the hills of Kamchatka. Today it is one of the largest volcanoes in Russia.
Koryaksky, which formed about two and a half million years ago, periodically reminds itself of itself by emissions of ash and eruptions.
In 2008, an outburst occurred from the western slope, which was visible from nearby villages, and the plume of smoke spread over more than 100 kilometers.
See also: Beautiful photos of volcanoes and their eruptions.
10
Teide. Spain
The beautiful island of Teide is located on the Spanish island of Tenerife. It is noteworthy that this mountain is the highest point in Spain and is fraught with potential danger despite its beauty.
The island itself is one of the many volcanic formations off the coast of Spain. Today, Teide is not active, and the last time worried the neighborhood in 1909.
If he wakes up, and seismologists do not exclude this possibility, this will be an unpleasant surprise not only for the Spaniards, but also for the whole of southern Europe.
9
Santa Maria Guatemala
In the mountains of western Guatemala there is a volcano with the beautiful and romantic name of Santa Maria. Despite the harmless name, in the history of the mountain there were powerful lava emissions, and explosions were heard over 700 kilometers.
Then, in 1902, more than 6 thousand people died, and today it is potentially dangerous for the population of Guatemala. After all, at any moment, Santa Maria can wake up, demonstrating her character by emitting thousands of tons of lava and ash.
8
Santorin. Greece
In the 17th century BC the catastrophic eruption of Santorin volcano destroyed the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, and served as the birth of the legends of Atlantis.
The powerful earthquake and tsunami that followed the eruption reached the shores of Greece and flooded the Aegean coastal cities.
The island of Thira itself has significantly changed its shape. The crater failed, forming a convex caldera, which immediately flooded the sea.
7
Etna. Italy
The largest of the active volcanoes in Europe is located on the east coast of the island of Sicily among the most picturesque landscapes of the Mediterranean.
Etna carries a potential danger if several craters are activated at the same time, and, according to various estimates, about four hundred.
The last major emission of lava and volcanic ash occurred in 2019, before that emissions were in 2011. But according to the ancient Greek myth, the goddess Athena crushed the giant Enkelad by Etna, and the eruption is the fiery breath of a defeated titan.
6
Taal. Philippines
On the island of Luzon, just 50 kilometers from the capital of the Philippines, the city of Manila, an active stratovolcano spread its slopes.
Tal is now sleeping, and a beautiful small pond has formed in his crater, which pleases with the beauties of those who rise to the top. But the last time he erupted in 1965, which killed about 200 people.
But at the beginning of the twentieth century, one small volcano of the planet caused great trouble. In 10 minutes, within a radius of 20 kilometers, all living things died, and ash emissions were visible hundreds of kilometers from the island.
5
Catch Papua New Guinea
An active volcano formed during the Pleistocene from basalt and andesite rocks.
Since the time when they began to observe Ulavun, 22 powerful volcanic eruptions have occurred.
And of the latter, it is worth noting the disaster of 2007, when there was a powerful release of magma. A large amount of ash later settled on the green slopes of the mountain and in nearby settlements.
4
Unzen. Japan
Unzen on the Shimabara Japanese Peninsula is now considered weakly active among seismologists, and at one time made a lot of noise in the region.
The powerful eruption of Unzen was recorded back in the Middle Ages, in 1663. But 119 years after that, its activity caused a tsunami, as recorded by sources with a wave height of 55 meters. The disaster killed 15,000 people.
In 1991, during a research expedition, lava covered 43 seismologists and representatives of the media, who at the time of the lava disappearance were on the gentle slopes of the mountain.
3
Popocatepetl. Mexico
In the Nahuatl language, the name of this mountain is translated as “smoking hill”, and today it is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the ridge of the Mexican mountains.
For a long time it was believed that Popocatepetl, like his brother Istaxiuatl, was extinct, but at the end of the twentieth century began to show activity.
The danger is that more than 20 million people live around the mountain range where the stratovolcano is located, and in the event of a powerful eruption, a large-scale evacuation operation will be required.
2
Yellowstone USA
For several years, Yellowstone has been keeping in suspense not only the scientific community, but all of humanity. Often this caldera in the northwestern United States is called a supervolcano, but it is not yet possible to calculate the potential power and danger of this geological formation.
But be that as it may, Yellowstone is considered today, albeit in the future, the most powerful volcano in the world, but thebiggest hopes that for a long time Mankind will not see the strength of this volcano.
As a result of a powerful eruption, about 650,000 years ago, the Yellowstone Caldera was formed, and many consider it the possible cause of the end of the world.
1
Sierra Negra Ecuador
The volcano on the island of Isabela in the Pacific Ocean for many centuries keeps the population of the region in suspense.
Sierra Negra, according to seismologists and researchers of the geological structure of the Earth, is the most powerful volcano in the world. Many disasters are associated with it, and the last time the residents were evacuated due to its activity in 2006.
The Ecuadorian giant has a thyroid shape, and is often the cause of seismic activity in this part of the Pacific Ocean.
Conclusion
As you can see, from time to time volcanoes manifest their violent character, causing death to all living things in the area and presenting a potential danger to Humanity.
Many millions of years ago, the most powerful volcanic eruptions formed the surface of the earth's crust, and even today they are the causes of small shifts of tectonic plates. And, for example, in 1963, as a result of the eruption in Iceland, a new island appeared.
TheBiggest editors ask you to write in a comment your thoughts about the most powerful volcanoes in the world, both about those presented in the article and about others.