Large volcanoes of the world. The largest volcano in the world. Consequences of the eruption for America

Some of the most magnificent wonders on earth are volcanoes. Their beauty is truly dangerous, as they can bring destruction to everything around them. Hot lava and volcanic bombs can easily wipe out from the face of the earth everything that gets in their way, including the largest cities. Over many millennia, humanity has already become convinced of the incredible power of active volcanoes. For example, Vesuvius, which took thousands of human lives and destroyed the largest cities of that era (Pompeii, Stabia, Herculaneum).

The article describes largest volcanoes in the world. This list contains volcanoes with different corners world, regardless of seismological activity. The main criterion for selection was their height.

10. Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa opens the top 10 largest volcanoes in the world. This is one of the active megavolcanoes, which is located in the central part of the island of Hawaii. In terms of volume, it is second only to the Tamu Massif. Its height is over four thousand meters. Scientists suggest that Mauna Loa originated over seven hundred thousand years ago. Today it is considered an active volcano.

Mauna Loa has an irregular shield shape with gentle slopes. In the vicinity of the volcano you can find many species of rare plants and wild animals. The mountain and lands from the southeastern part are included in the reserve.

On the eastern side of the Andes mountain system is one of the largest volcanoes on the planet - the active Sangay Volcano. It has a steep conical shape, and numerous layers of lava and tephra can be seen on its top. The uniqueness of this volcano lies in the presence of three craters. On the territory of the mountain and its nearby territory a national natural Park, which belongs to the list of UNESCO protected areas.

Scientists suggest that the Sangay volcano was formed about 14 thousand years ago. Its height is over 5 thousand meters. From the 1930s to the present day, Sangay has been characterized by very frequent periods of activity. The first documented volcanic eruption was in 1628.

8. Huila Volcano

Starovolcano Huila is the largest volcano in Colombia, with a height of 5365 meters. It has a steep elongated shape. Huila was considered dormant for many years, but after fifty years he began to show signs of activity. From 2007 to the present day, more than 7 thousand small seismic events have occurred. The last eruption was recorded in 2011. Huila poses a great danger to the inhabitants of the four regions that are in its vicinity.

This volcano and its surrounding areas are a haven for many species of wild animals. The rich flora and fauna is due to the presence of numerous water sources, which were formed due to the descent of snow from the top of the mountain.

7. Popocatepetl

The Mexican highlands are home to one of the largest active stratovolcanoes in the world, Popocatepetl. Its height is 5426 meters. The name of the volcano comes from the Nahuatl language, which means “Smoking Hill”. Next to it is Mount Iztaxuatl. These two hills received their names thanks to a legend. In it, the Aztecs talked about unhappy love, where a girl was given in marriage to another. This happened because her parents did not wait for their daughter’s lover to return from the hike. Soon the girl committed suicide. After some time, the warrior returned home victorious, but did not find his beloved alive. The guy could not come to terms with the loss and also committed suicide. At their sign eternal love the gods turned the lovers into two mountains.

6. Orizaba

Orizaba is the highest peak in Mexico and one of the largest volcanoes in the world. Its height above sea level is 5675 meters. Locals call the volcano Citlaltepetl. This is translated from one of the Aztec languages ​​as “mountain of stars.”

On this moment The volcano is dormant, but it has not completely gone out. About 27 eruptions have been documented, the last of which was observed in 1846.

In 1936, a protected park was created that included the mountain, surrounding areas and the settlement. The area of ​​the protected area is almost 20 thousand hectares.

Over thirty years ago there were about 14 glaciers at the top of the volcano. Due to the problem of global warming, their number has decreased. Today there are 9 of them. The largest of them is Gran Norte with an area of ​​9 km2.

5. Misty

Misti is the largest active volcano in South America. It is located in the southern part of Peru. Its actual height is 5822 meters above sea level. Not far from the hill is the city of Arequina, home to more than 1 million people. Most of the city's buildings are built from pyroclastic deposits from the volcano.

The cone shape of Misti is a stratovolcano. It is characterized by explosive eruptions that alternate with the outflow of lava. One of the features of the volcano is the presence of three concentric craters. In the 15th century, very strong eruptions were observed. The most recent seismological activity was documented in 1985.

4. Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is the highest African volcano. It is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania. Taking into account glaciers, its height is 5895 meters. Kilimanjaro, like most of the world's largest volcanoes, remains dormant. For now local residents little seismological activity is observed. Kilimanjaro has a conical shape and consists of three craters.

There are many theories that explain the origin of the name in different ways. The name of the volcano is translated from Swahili as “mountain that sparkles.”

Despite the fact that Kilimanjaro is an inactive volcano, many scientists visit it every year. The top of the volcano is covered with a huge snow cap, which has formed there since the Ice Age. Due to global warming, its volume has decreased sharply over the last century.

3. Cotopaxi

In the list of the largest volcanoes in the world, Cotopaxi ranks third. The height of the volcano is 5911 meters, it is located in Ecuador on the western side of the Eastern Cordillera ridge. The capital of Ecuador, Quito, is located just 50 kilometers from Cotopaxi.

The peak of volcanic activity fell in the 17th-18th centuries. Last eruption happened quite recently - in 2015.

Cotopaxi means "shining or smoking mountain" in the Quechua language. Sometimes you can see small puffs of smoke above its mouth, which are formed due to the release of water and sulfur. Since the volcano is dormant, its summit is covered with a thick layer of glaciers and snow.

2. San Pedro

At 6,145 meters high, San Pedro is the largest stratovolcano in the Andes mountain range. The volcanic cone is formed by basalt and andesite layers. The last seismic activity was observed in the 60s of the last century. In the summer of 1903, the first documented ascent to the top of the mountain was made.

Not far from San Pedro is the San Pablo Volcano. Outwardly, they look like two brothers who are connected to each other using a high saddle.

1. Llullaillaco

Llullallaco is the largest volcano on Earth. Its height is 6739 meters. It is located on the high plateau of Puna de Atacama, between Argentina and Chile.

Today Llullallaco is in a dormant state. The last period of activity was documented in 1877. Nowadays, you can quite often see smoke emanating from its mouth.

The very first documented ascent to the top of Llullallaco occurred in 1952. During the expedition, archaeologists found an ancient sanctuary belonging to the Incas. Upon closer examination of the slopes of the mountain, several mummies were discovered, which were most likely sacrificed to the gods.

Volcanic activity has been present on Earth since the first stages of its formation as a planet. As soon as the first earth's crust appeared, volcanoes arose, which made a huge contribution to its further formation and evolution. Gases released by volcanoes formed the first earth's atmosphere; rocks melted in magma chambers, forming various compounds that later became necessary, including for the formation of life. Despite the fact that the modern period of the planet's development is considered tectonically stable, volcanoes are still present, and most of them erupt periodically.

What are the largest volcanoes on the planet? It turns out that the largest of them is currently considered extinct. This is Ojos del Salado, which is located in the Andes, in the border area between Chile and Argentina. With an altitude of 6893 meters, it has never erupted in the visible history of mankind, which allows us to draw conclusions that it has long been extinct. Let's leave it aside and move on to studying active volcanoes.

Sangay - 5230 meters

The Sangay volcano is located in the Andes, in their equatorial region, on the eastern side. It has three craters at once and belongs to the type of stratovolcanoes. According to scientists, this object began to form about 14 thousand years ago, and little is known about its eruptions in the prehistoric period. The first eruption actually recorded by people fire mountain falls in 1628. Its activity has increased over the last century, with the last eruption recorded in 2007.

Interesting:

The most large rivers that dry out - list, names, descriptions, photos and videos

Popocatepetl, 5455 meters

This name may seem strange, but translated from the local dialect it sounds like “a hill from which smoke comes.” This stratovolcano is located on the territory of Mexico, close to another - Iztaccihuatl, which has long been extinct. The last eruption was recorded in 2011, so Popocatepetl is considered active not without reason. Moreover, it can be considered quite dangerous for people, since the city of Mexico City with a population of 20 million is located very close to it.

Elbrus, 5642 meters

The highest peak in Russia, Elbrus with its two peaks, also belongs to the category of stratovolcanoes, and is located in the Caucasus Mountains. This mountain is worthy of special consideration, not only because of its Russian “citizenship”, but also because of its unpredictability.

On the one hand, the last eruption of Elbrus is approximately dated 50 AD. One might think that it has long gone out and can no longer be considered active. But such conclusions are misleading. The volcano is potentially active, and long periods of calm have been relevant for it in the past. So, initially it could not show signs of life for 50 thousand years in a row, then these periods began to shorten to 3-1.5 thousand years. The most recent traces of the latest eruptions date back to 6, then 3, and 1.8 thousand years ago. Therefore, the awakening of Elbrus may well occur in our days.

Interesting fact: Elbrus eruptions are so powerful that traces of its activity are found even along the banks of the Volga in the space between Astrakhan and Akhtubinsk, where a fossil layer of Elbrus ash with a thickness of 70 cm was discovered!

El Misti, 5822 meters

This peak is located in South America and belongs to Peruvian territory. This is another active and quite dangerous volcano for people, near which the million-strong city of Arequipa grew up. The volcanic materials released during the El Misti eruption are white in color. Many buildings in the city were created from them due to their greatest accessibility, which is why the city is sometimes called White.

Interesting:

The largest animals - list, sizes, description, photos and videos

Kilimanjaro, 5895 meters

Africa is a very tectonically calm place. But there are large and active volcanoes here - the largest of them is Kilimanjaro, which is also recognized as the highest mountain in Africa. This volcano also raises certain concerns regarding the possibility of an eruption in the coming years, since in 2003 researchers discovered the presence of liquid lava 400 meters from the main peak.

Cotopaxi, 5911 meters

The South American volcano Cotopaxi is located in the Cordilleras in Ecuador. The giant crater is huge; at a depth of 450 meters, it measures 550 by 800 meters. It erupts quite often - so, since 1738, people have noted about 50 similar cases. But the last time a paw leaked from it was in 1940, and since then no activity has yet been detected.

San Pedro - 6145 meters

San Pedro is located in Chile, it is located on the border with the Atacama Desert, and is a stratovolcano. Not far from it there is another volcano, smaller in size, Sero Parini. San Pedro stands out in a surprising way mountain range The Andes border is a very large saddle. The last manifestation of activity by this peak dates back to 1960.

Despite their deadly nature, various volcanoes have long attracted people. 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 the modern active volcanoes are located in Pacific volcanic ring- the area in which it occurs greatest number eruptions and 90% of earthquakes on our planet.

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

The strongest eruption in history

The most destructive eruption in terms of its consequences is considered to be the catastrophe that occurred in 1883 during the 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 released to a height of 70 kilometers.

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

Earth's Greatest Active Volcanic Mountains

The largest in volume active volcanoes world:

• Mauna Loa, Hawaii, with a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers;
• Kilimanjaro(Tanzania), which is considered dormant but could potentially become active, has a volume of 4,800 cubic kilometers;
• Volcano Sierra Negra, located in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) has a volume of 580 cubic kilometers.

Which country has the largest source of lava?

In terms of size, there is no equal to the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa, which has a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The title of the highest is disputed by 2 volcanoes from South America:

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

Description with names

There are between 1000 and 1500 active volcanoes on our planet. Many of them are located near densely populated areas and pose a threat to human life. The most dangerous volcanoes, which are under special surveillance, are included in UN Decade Volcanoes list.

Merapi

Merapi, which means in Indonesian "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 at intervals of approximately 7 years; throughout its history, Merapi has repeatedly caused the death of many people. In 1930, the eruption killed 1,400 people, and in 2010 more than 350 thousand people had to be evacuated, killing 353 island residents.

Located near Merapi Yogyakarta city, in the agglomeration of which more than 2 million people live. Due to its activity and danger to human life, 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 chronicles occurred in 963, and the most powerful one dates back to 1914, but thanks to the tremors that preceded it, most of the local residents managed to evacuate, and “only” 35 people died.

Since the mid-20th century, the volcano has been constantly active. Happen every year thousands of small explosions and ash emissions.

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

Sakurajima is also on the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Aso

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

The last time people died as a result of a volcanic eruption was in 1979, when 3 people died and 11 were injured. But Aso is dangerous not only for its eruptions, poisonous volcanic gas fumes They 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, ash emission occurred to a height of up to 2 kilometers.

If you travel by plane, then you will be interested, from which you will find out how the seats on the plane are located and which ones are the most comfortable.

Nyiragongo

Nyiragongo is located in the territory DR Congo in the Virunga mountain system (Africa). The volcano's crater houses the world's largest lava lake, the depth of which can reach 3 kilometers. In 1977, the crater wall ruptured, causing a large flow of lava into the surrounding area, ultimately killing 70 people.

During observations of Nyiragongo since 1882, it was recorded 34 major volcanic eruptions. A feature of the Nyiragongo eruptions is the extremely rapid flow of lava, reaching speeds of 100 kilometers per hour. During a major eruption in 2002, 400 thousand 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 suffered significant damage.

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

Galeras

The 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 was 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 7,000 years, Galeras has experienced at least 6 major eruptions, the last of which was recorded in 1993.

Mauna Loa

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

Mauna Loa erupts according to what is called Hawaiian type with an outpouring of lava, but without explosions and large ash emissions. Observations of the volcano have been carried out only since 1832, but during this time 39 major eruptions of Mauna Loa have been recorded. This volcano was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade due to the huge lava flows accompanying the eruption and the densely populated area in its immediate vicinity.

The summit of the volcano and its slopes were included in the list World Heritage UNESCO.

Colima

The most active volcano in Central America is located in the state of Jalisco. Thanks to her 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, making it the most dangerous volcano America. For this reason, the volcano was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Oh largest cities of the world you will find out in - the most densely populated, the longest and others.

Vesuvius

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

Located just 15 kilometers from Naples, Vesuvius has repeatedly gone down in history with its catastrophic eruptions; about 80 major ones alone were recorded. In 79 AD, the most destructive eruption of Vesuvius, during which famous cities perished:

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

It is believed that at least 16 thousand people died during this disaster.

In 1944, the last eruption of Vesuvius occurred, during which cities were destroyed Weight And San Sebastiano, 27 people became victims. Since then, Vesuvius has not shown strong activity, but the danger of a new eruption always remains. Vesuvius is one of the main attractions of the province of Campania and a visit to it 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 the highest volcano, rising to a height of 2329 meters. Etna erupts several times a year. History has recorded several major eruptions of this volcano that led to devastating consequences:

1. Was destroyed in 122 AD Catania city;
2. In 1169 during large-scale eruption Etna died 15 thousand people;
3. In 1669, Catania suffered again, houses were destroyed 27 thousand people;
4. In 1928, the ancient Maskali 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 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 locals affectionately call it, is located in Mexico, 70 kilometers from the capital of this country, Mexico City. The height of the volcano is almost 5500 meters. Popocatépetl has erupted more than 15 times over the past 500 years, with the most recent one occurring as recently as 2015. An extinct volcano is located near Popocatepetl. Iztaccihuatl.

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

Klyuchevskaya Sopka

Most high volcano Eurasia is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula and is considered the most famous of the many volcanoes of Kamchatka. Highest point beyond Caucasus Mountains reaches an altitude of 4750 meters. It is the most active volcano in Eurasia, with an average of 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 Cotopaxi volcano is located in South America on the territory of the state Ecuador part of the Andes mountain system. The height of the peak of Cotopaxi is 5897 meters. In 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 noticed 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 exhibit volcanic activity.

Supreme

The tallest extinct volcano on the planet, 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 the Americas, Western and Southern Hemispheres. The height of Aconcagua exceeds 6950 meters.

Sleeping giants

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

• Famous Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa) is a dormant volcano that is not active. 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 was considered extinct, but scientists have found that there is little activity in it, so now Yellowstone is classified as a dormant volcano. The giant last erupted almost a million years ago.

It is believed that if Yellowstone wakes up, a 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 other volcanic eruptions, which will affect almost every inhabitant of the planet. The ash ejected by the volcano will cover the surface of the earth from the sun for a year and a half, and a volcanic winter will occur 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 is 5642 meters. It is located on the border of the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Belongs to the list 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, since it is under water. Array Tamu located at the bottom Pacific Ocean and is located approximately 1600 kilometers east of Japanese Islands. Its dimensions are 650 by 450 kilometers; in 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 exhibit volcanic activity. Peak Greater Ararat, reaching 5165 meters, is the highest point in 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 Kazbek caves.

Do you like it? extreme tourism until your knees tremble? If yes, then you are the most scary places on Earth they reveal their secrets.

Watch a video about these and other volcanoes in the world:

The beauty and grandeur of a large volcano has always attracted people. The power of the active giant is not exaggerated - the ash that envelops many kilometers and the fiery lava that burns everything in its path are described in many books and shown on TV. The larger and higher the volcano, the more destruction it can cause if it erupts.

IN modern world scientists can predict the activity of an active volcano, thereby avoiding many casualties, but the strength and duration of nature’s “fiery breath” is sometimes impossible to calculate. The highest, largest volcanoes created at the junction of tectonic plates are of greatest interest to people. This list shows exactly those that have the highest altitude above sea level.

Tungurahua

The height of the giant volcano, located on the territory of Ecuador, is 5023 m. above sea level. The name stands for “fire throat.” Since 1999, the volcano has become especially active, and therefore it was decided to evacuate all nearby villages. Major eruptions were recorded in 2012 and 2014, which is why local authorities introduced an orange alert level. Throwing ash to a height of almost 10 km. covered several large settlements, located at a distance of more than 150 km. Little Tungurahua activity still occurs today.

Another giant from Ecuador. In the local dialect it means “fear-inspiring.” This majestic and beautiful volcano has a height of 5230m. According to scientific data, the volcano with three craters, the diameter of which is more than 100 meters, was formed more than 14,000 years ago. The very first major eruption was recorded in 1628. Since the 30s of the last century, Sangai has been constantly erupting. Last activity was in 2007. Today, only a few offer to climb to the top of the volcano. travel companies, since the volcano is considered active and erupts from time to time. Still, there are always people who like to add adrenaline to their lives. Part of the route is covered by car, the rest by special mules. Elevation takes 2-3 days.

The volcano with a height of 5426m is active. Location: Mexico. Not easy funny name translated as "smoking hill". Villages and cities with a total population of 20 million are densely located around the volcano. Human. The last mention of any volcanic activity was in 1994. But in 1947, a volcanic eruption threw out so much ash that it covered everything within a 30 km radius. It is very popular among tourists and lovers of real, virgin nature.

Active volcano with a height of 5822m. located in Peru. The volcano has three huge craters, the largest diameter is 130 m. Particularly strong activity in the 15th century brought a lot of trouble to the nearby city of Arequipa, later called the “white city”. Local population They call the mountain sacred, the mountain of the gods. In 1998, archaeologists discovered several Incan mummies and valuable artifacts at the foot of the volcano. There are many mystical stories associated with the volcano. Periodic explosive eruptions over the past hundred years have not scared away, but rather attracted a lot of tourists. Peak tourist season falls in May-September, when the top of the volcano is not covered with snow. For the most fearless, there is a descent into one of the craters.

The highest point in Africa (5895m above sea level) belongs to an active volcano. Kilimanjaro is mentioned in many feature films and literature and is considered one of the most beautiful and popular.

There are no officially recorded eruptions of the giant giant, but local residents claim that 200 years ago the volcano behaved quite aggressively. Kilimanjaro is in great demand among tourists, as climbing the mountain is quite simple and does not require special skills. Unfortunately, the famous “snow cap” has been melting a lot lately; over the last 100 years, glaciers have shrunk by 80%, which is certainly alarming.

Volcano with a height of 5911m. included in the list of the largest active volcanoes on the planet. Since 1738, the volcano has erupted just under 50 times, and the last strong eruption was recorded last year on August 15. From the archives of descriptions of the Cotopaxi volcano, a destructive eruption of 1768 is mentioned - “in the middle of spring, a huge column of steam and ash rose from the breathing crater of the volcano, and a few days later fiery lava poured out. At the same time, a terrible earthquake began. The nearby town of Latacunga was completely destroyed." Today Cotopaxi is called " business card Ecuador". Hundreds of avid climbers come here to conquer the top of the volcano. But local authorities do not welcome this; due to the constant melting of glaciers, many accidents have been recorded.

San Pedro

A giant active volcano sits on the edge of the Atacama Desert in Chile. The height of the volcano above sea level is 6145m. The last activity was observed in 1960. Tourist routes does not have. Every moment can create a real danger for residents of nearby villages.

Height – 6310m. The highest point in Ecuador. Today it is considered extinct, but around the 5th-7th century AD it erupted tons of fiery lava. The entire top of the volcano is covered with glaciers. As a result of the effects of global warming, the glacier has greatly decreased in size. In clear weather, the volcano can be seen 150 km away. Chimborazo is very popular among tourists and climbers. Some of them claim that in some places they can hear seething inside the volcano. You can conquer the top of Chimborazo at any time of the year, since the air temperature on the slopes remains the same in winter and summer.

The leader among active volcanoes. Height above sea level 6739m. The eruption recorded in 1877 was the last. The top of the volcano is covered with glaciers, and it is located among the most arid desert on the ground - Atacama. Unique excavations carried out at the top of the volcano helped determine that the found corpses of Incan children buried more than 500 years ago speak about the sacredness of this mountain. Local Indians nicknamed the volcano “deceiver”, not trusting its calmness. The snow line of the volcano is located at the very high point in the world, having overcome a height of 6.5 tons. meters. The lucky ones who managed to climb to the top of the volcano are given the opportunity to enjoy the enchanting and majestic views of mountain ranges and unique landscapes.

The highest volcano on earth geographically covers both Chile and Argentina. The height of the champion of our rating is 6887m. above sea level. The volcano is also unique in that it is located in the crater itself, at an altitude of 6390m. The highest lake in the world is located. Throughout the history of observation, the volcano has not shown much activity, although several emissions of sulfur and water vapor were recorded in the last century. On the Chilean side, near the volcano is the city of Copiano. The city completely breathes with tourist life, welcoming every year a large number of climbers and ordinary travelers. At the foot of the peak itself, which can only be reached by the most experienced tourists, traces of Inca habitation were found. This find again recalls the special attitude of the ancient Indians to the greatness and sacredness of nature.

The record for the most terrible, destructive volcanic eruption belongs to Tambora, located in Indonesia. In 1815, after a powerful explosion, the eruption lasted almost two weeks. Within a radius of 500 kilometers there was pitch darkness for four days due to the ejected ash. More than 70,000 people died in that disaster, according to the Indonesian government.

On the territory of our country, the champion in height is the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano. Its height is 4835m. above sea level. The last small eruption was recorded in August 2013.

The volcano is a wonder of the world created by nature itself. Admire majestic mountain, with its snow-capped peaks and bottomless craters, you can constantly. The possible danger posed by an active volcano has long been a subject of curiosity and popularity among tourists. But beauty and power natural phenomena should be respected; it was not for nothing that the ancient Indians called volcanoes “sacred mountains.”