Discover 7 of the most dangerous volcanoes that worry volcanologists the most
There are around 1,350 active volcanoes in the world, but there are some that are of most concern to the volcanological community. In this article we tell you which are some of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
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Although not all are erupting, there are approximately 1,350 active volcanoes around the world. History has repeatedly shown that their eruptions can be truly catastrophic, both for humans and for many other species.
The geological time scale has nothing to do with the human scale and what for us is something that happens from time to time, like volcanic eruptions, in fact on the geological scale they are very "frequent" and there are many areas in the world that can be defined as active volcanic zones, which means that they have had some eruption in the last 10,000 years.
Some of these eruptions were eternalized in history. Examples of this are the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1833, in which 33,000 people died, or on Mount Tambora, which in 1815 killed 60,000 people.
The eruption of Mount Tambora was one of those volcanic eruptions capable of affecting the global climate, it had great consequences at the planetary level, because the large amount of ash it expelled into the atmosphere caused a change in the amount of solar radiation that reached the Earth. This cooled the climate to such an extent that the year following its eruption, 1816, went down in history as the year without summer.
There are a set of volcanoes in the world that stand out for their dangerousness, the number of people living nearby, and the possibility of erupting. These are some of the seven most dangerous volcanoes in the world and that most concern volcanologists.
Taal
Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines and, although topographically speaking it is not a very prominent volcano, its prehistoric eruptions have repeatedly changed the landscape of southwestern Luzon and caused numerous deaths throughout history.
Taal has a boiler called Talisay, full of magma and in which there have been 4 eruptions of magnitude 4 in the volcanic explosiveness index in the last 200 years. Also an eruption of magnitude 5 in the last 5,500 years. In its vicinity live about 24.8 million people who may be affected by one of its powerful eruptions.
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Mount Vesuvius
This volcano was the protagonist of one of the best known eruptions in history, which in 79 A.D. destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, along with other settlements. Today, about six million people live in the city of Naples and its surroundings.
Along with the neighbouring caldera of the Campos Flégreos, partially submerged in the sea, and other volcanoes in the region, Vesuvius is the result of the collision of African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Over the last 17,000 years, this composite volcano has exhibited 8 large explosive eruptions of the Plinian type, which send dense columns of gas, ash and rock to the stratosphere.
Popocatépil
The most active volcano in Mexico is usually among the biggest concerns of volcanologists, especially for two reasons: its regular activity, which manifested itself again in 1994 (after almost half a century of silence) and has caused frequent explosions since then, and the proximity to Mexico City, where about 9 million people live.
This stratovolcano had its last eruption in August 2023, but in the last 500 years it has recorded 18 eruptions. It is the second highest volcano in Mexico, has a symmetrical conical shape and also perennial glaciers near the mouth of its crater, which represents an additional threat.
Monte Merapi
It is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, has been erupting for centuries and is located in one of the most densely populated areas in the world, dominating the landscape north of the city of Yogyakarta.
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The activity of the volcano keeps the more than three million inhabitants of the neighboring city of Yogyakarta and its surroundings on alert, but those who have the most cause for concern are the thousands of residents who live on its slopes, especially because of the remarkable habit of the Merapi of eruptingwith pyroclastic flows, avalanches of burning gas and volcanic material that descend, devastating the slopes at hundreds of kilometres per hour. His last eruption occurred in 2022.
Krakatoa
The Krakatoa volcano is a caldera volcano located in the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, famous for the violent eruption that occurred in 1883. On August 27 of that year, four huge explosions that could be heard up to 5,000 kilometres away destroyed almost three quarters of the archipelago.
The tsunamis generated cost the lives of more than 36,000 people. The eruption of the Krakatoa released energy 13,000 times greater than that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. It is a very active volcano and the last eruption was in June 2023. Due to its recent history, the Anak Krakatau, as it is known locally in Indonesia, is considered by many to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world.
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Etna
Located in Sicily, southern Italy, it is the largest volcano in Europe and one of the largest in the world. With more than 3,300 meters of altitude and more than 200 craters formed over thousands of years, this super mountain is in permanent activity, with the release of vapor and gases.
This Monday (15) the Voragine crater expelled lava and a rain of ash. The smoke reached about 6,000 meters high and forced Catania airport in Sicily to suspend flights.
Kilauea
Located on the Great Island of Hawaii, this is one of the many volcanoes that are currently active in the archipelago, being known as the most active volcano in the world. It is considered a young volcano and, according to scientific calculations, is approximately 300,000 to 600,000 years old.
Its eruptions are of the effusive type and the lava slides quickly, spreading over great distances. The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where Kilauea is located, has had to be closed a few times since its creation to ensure the safety of tourists and residents in the vicinity of the volcano.