The most dangerous and largest volcanoes in the world.

One of the most dangerous natural disasters is a volcanic eruption. For people, in addition to the danger of being in the path of a stream of red-hot lava or ash, there is the danger of poisoning by volcanic gases and the risk of complete isolation from sunlight.

The International Association of Volcanology and Earth Chemistry, which deals with global ecology and disaster damage reduction, has compiled a list of the planet's most dangerous volcanoes.



Volcano Merapi.

The highest of Indonesia's volcanoes, Merapi, tops the list. It smokes almost continuously, and the period between lava emissions is about seven years. About a thousand years ago, a massive eruption of this volcano killed the Java-Indian civilization of Mataram. In 1930 another awakening of the volcano led to the death of one and a half thousand people. In 1974 its destructive power destroyed two settlements and a number of bridges. Merapi's long list of victims includes many volcanologists and tourists.

Karyak volcano.

Next on the list is Karyaksky volcano, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Its ribbed top is in the shape of a cone with a cut top. On the slopes and at the bottom of the volcano a whole network of new lava cones was formed as a result of frequent side eruptions. At the beginning of March this year there was a powerful outburst from the crater of volcano Shiveluch, located in the Central Kamchatka tectonic depression. Because of the extreme danger for aviation this volcano was given a special threat code - orange. EMERCOM officials warn of the danger of approaching the foot of the volcano due to the possibility of a sudden increase in the concentration of fumarolic gas, as well as as ashfalls.

Volcano Etna.

One of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet remains the famous Etna on the island of Sicily. Lava eruptions are periodic for months at a time. Lateral eruptions lead to the formation of additional craters, of which there are already about 400 today. An extreme danger to the population may arise in case of simultaneous eruption of several craters.

Sakurajima Volcano.

Sakurajima volcano, which means "sakura branch" in Japanese, is a beautiful but also very active volcano. Due to its unpredictability it has been assigned the first category of danger. Residents of the city of Kagoshima, located at its foot, live in a state of constant readiness to evacuate. Webcams have been installed at the edge of the crater and the volcano well is constantly monitored.

Volcano Vesuvius.

Vesuvius remains one of Italy's three active volcanoes. Over the past two millennia of human history, more than 80 large-scale eruptions have been recorded. The most famous of them took place around 79, when the Roman cities of Herculaneum, Pompeii and Stabia were destroyed. This catastrophe is described in detail by the Roman historian Pliny the Younger.

Volcanologists have also listed volcanoes as dangerous, such as: Colima (Mexico), Popocatepetl (Mexico), Santa Maria (Guatemala), Galeras (Colombia), Mauna Loa (HawaiiUlavun, Papua New Guinea), Papandayan (Indonesia), Taal (Philippines), Undzen (Japan), Nyiragongo (Congo), Teide (Canary Islands), Rainier (USA), Yellowstone (USA), and Santorin (Greece).