The World’s 12 Most Spectacular Volcanoes

Volcanoes have long been the subject of legends and myths. Volcanoes’ power could only be explained by ancient cultures as acts of gods or demigods. Volcanoes are now known to be the result of tectonic movements in the Earth’s crust. Despite our understanding of their inner workings, they remain a force of nature that can be intimidating and perplexing. Here is our list of the world’s most amazing volcanoes.

#1 Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak and the world’s highest free-standing mountain, rising 5,892 meters (19,331 feet) above sea level. As a result of this, and thanks to its relatively easy ascent, Kilimanjaro has become a popular destination for mountaineers and trekkers from all over the world. Despite being close to the equator, Mount Kilimanjaro is famous as Africa’s snow-capped mountain looming over the savannah plains. The top of the mountain, on the other hand, has seen a retreat of the most recent glacier covering in the recent year.

#2 Mayon Volcano

Because of its nearly perfectly conical shape, Mayon Volcano is known as the “Perfect Cone.” This amazing volcano’s upper slopes are steep, averaging 35-40 degrees, and are capped by a small summit crater. It has layers of lava and other volcanic material on its sides. Mayon is the most active of the Philippines’ active volcanoes, erupting 49 times in the last 400 years. On February 1, 1814, Mayon’s most destructive eruption occurred, bombarding nearby towns with volcanic rocks and killing 2,200 locals.

#3 Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, at 3,776 meters, is Japan’s highest peak (12,388 ft). The exceptionally symmetrical cone of the volcano is a well-known symbol of Japan, and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by tourists and climbers. It is currently considered active, with a low risk of eruption. The most recent recorded eruption occurred in 1708. Mount Fuji is a popular tourist destination, with an estimated 200,000 people climbing it each year, 30 percent of whom are foreigners. The ascent can take between three and eight hours, and the descent can take between two and five hours.

#4 Kilauea

Kilauea is the most recent of the volcanoes that have formed the Hawaiian Archipelago. It is a very low, flat shield volcano, with a very different profile than stratovolcanoes, which have high, sharply sloping peaks. Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, making it a valuable resource for volcanologists. Since 1952, thirty-three eruptions have occurred, not including the current eruption, which began on January 3, 1983 and is still ongoing.

#5 Mount Vesuvius

Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79, which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killed between 10,000 and 25,000 people. It has erupted numerous times since then and is now regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world due to the 3,000,000 people who live nearby. The height of the main cone has fluctuated due to eruptions, but it is currently 1,281 m. (4,202 ft).

#6 Osorno Volcano

Volcán Osorno is a conical stratovolcano that stands 2,652 meters (8,701 feet) tall in Chile’s Los Lagos Region. It towers over Todos los Santos Lake and is located on the southeastern shore of Lake Llanquihue. Osorno is well-known throughout the world as a symbol of the local landscape, and it resembles Mount Fuji in appearance. Osorno is one of the southern Chilean Andes’ most active volcanoes, with 11 historical eruptions recorded between 1575 and 1869. Lava flows from these eruptions reached both Llanquihue and Todos los Santos Lakes.

#7 Mount Etna

Mount Etna is Europe’s second largest active volcano, currently standing 3,329 meters (10,922 feet) tall, though this varies depending on summit eruptions. The mountain has dropped 21 meters (69 feet) since 1981. The fertile volcanic soils of the east coast of Sicily support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower slopes of the mountain and the broad Plain of Catania to the south.

#8 Arenal Volcano

Volcán Arenal, Costa Rica’s most active volcano, is 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of San José. The Arenal volcano towers 1,657 meters above sea level and commands a view of Lake Arenal. It is considered a young volcano, with an estimated age of less than 3,000 years. Arenal erupted in 1968, destroying the small town of Tabacón. Three more craters were formed on the western flanks as a result of the eruption, but only one of them still exists today.

#9 Krakatoa

Krakatoa (Gunung Krakatau) is a volcanic island located between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. Mount Krakatoa’s eruption on August 26-27, 1883, was one of the most violent volcanic events in modern and recorded history. The eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT—roughly 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The cataclysmic explosion could be heard as far away as Perth, Western Australia, about 1,930 miles (3,110 kilometers). Eruptions caused the smaller Anak Krakatau (“Child of Krakatoa”) to rise from the sea in 1927, and the emerging volcanic island is growing at a rate of 7 meters per year. Anak’s most recent eruption began in April of 2008 and is still ongoing.

#10 Mount Bromo

Gunung Bromo is an active volcano in East Java that is part of the Tengger massif. It is not the highest peak of the massif, standing at 2,329 meters (7,641 feet), but it is the most well-known. The area is one of Java’s most popular tourist destinations. The volcano’s crater is constantly belching white sulphurous smoke, and the top has been blown off. It is surrounded by the fine volcanic sand Laut Pasir (Sea of Sand). When compared to the lush green valleys surrounding the Tengger massif, the overall effect is unsettlingly unearthly.

#11 Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s second highest peak, standing at 5,897 meters (19,347 ft). The volcano has one of the world’s few equatorial glaciers, which begins at a height of 5,000 meters (16,400 ft). From Quito, the mountain can be seen clearly in the distance. Cotopaxi is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, with over 50 eruptions since 1738. The main danger of a massive Cotopaxi eruption would be the flow of ice from its glacier.

#12 Mount Yasur

Mount Yasur is an active volcano on Tanna Island, Vanuatu, rising 361 meters (1,184 feet) above sea level. The glow of the volcano was apparently what drew Captain James Cook to the island on his first European visit in 1774. It is one of the world’s most accessible live volcanoes. Anyone can walk right up to it and peer into its raging belly. Its eruptions, which include fire, brimstone, and flying ash, typically occur several times per hour.

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