From the rock-spewing peak beneath an Icelandic ice-cap to the island summit
with a volume of 18 thousand cubic miles, today we look at the Tallest Volcanoes on Earth
Number 13. Sakurajima At one point in history, the volcanic landmass of
Sakurajima was its own island. But this Japanese summit transformed due to the lava flow from
its 1914 eruption, connecting it with the Osumi Peninsula. Today, it is the most active volcano
in the nation, continuously raining volcanic ash on the area surrounding it. Sakurajima is
just 3,665 feet above sea level, making it far from the tallest. But at 30 square miles
of surface area, this peninsula is certainly among the largest volcanoes known to man. The years 2011
and 2012 brought notable eruptions, and August of 2013 provided its largest recorded plume of ash
at a jaw-dropping 16,404 feet high, casting a shadow over the nearby city of Kagoshima .
Number 12. Grímsvötn The Icelandic volcano
Grímsvötn is an active volcano at an elevation of 5,659 feet above sea level. It is a basaltic
volcano with the highest eruption frequency in the country of Iceland and his notable for
its vast fissure system. When this volcano erupts, it emits plumes of smoke and ash
and can cause earthquakes, but due to the presence of ice, it erupts with unique explosions described
as being phreatomagmatic . Rather than spouting massive amounts of lava or steam, the mixture of
meltwater and magma creates clasts, or chunks of pre-existing minerals reformed and shaped
by the special combination of factors. These are ejected along with ash into the surrounding area.
Eruptions are difficult to predict thanks to rapidly altering state of the nearby ice cap,
though it is believed this volcano is just at the starting stage of an active period.
Number 11. Mount Bromo Rising out from the nature
reserve known as the "Sea of Sand", the summit known as Mount Bromo
stands 7,641 feet tall and is one of the most popular tourist stops in all of East Java,
Indonesia. It gets its name from the Javanese pronunciation of the Hindu creation deity Brahma,
and is just a 45 minute walk from the village of Cemorro Lawang. Mount Bromo has erupted multiple
times in the last 2 decades, ranging in severity from shutting down flights
due to ash to explosively launching rocks and claiming the lives of bystanders.
Number 10. Mayon Volcano The supposedly perfect conical
peak of the Mayon Volcano is a sacred treasure among the local people of the island of Luzon.
Aside from the renown symmetry at the summit of this mountain 8,081 feet above sea level, Mayon
was worshipped by the ancient people as a volcano that, according to folklore, grew from the graves
of two mythical lovers, Maga-yonn and Panganoron . Its name actually derives from the former,
Maga-yonn, a princess and heroine whose name is said to translate to "Beautiful Lady" in English.
Number 9. Mount Saint Helens
Nestled within the Cascade mountain range between Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington,
is a volcano notorious for its pyroclastic flows and ash-launching eruptions. While it isn't the
highest mountain of the region, it's still an impressive summit as Mount Saint Helens stands
8,363 feet tall currently. This volcano was once even taller, measure to a height of 9,677 feet
above sea level, but a 5.1 earthquake triggered a lateral eruption in the volcano on May 18, 1980
leading to devastating consequences. A massive portion of the volcano was blown to smithereens,
reducing it in size and leaving a mile-wide horseshoe-esque crater at the peak. But the
sudden explosion proved even worse for locals as the eruption would go on to be the most
destructive volcanic event in American history. Mount Saint Helens claimed many victims that day,
including 47 bridges, 185 miles of highway, 250 homes and 57 casualties.
Number 8. Yellowstone Caldera Amid Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park is
the supervolcano called the Yellowstone Caldera. Geologists have traced this 9,203-foot-high
formation back to nearly 2.1 million years ago, believing it to have formed from the combined
efforts of three super-eruptions stretched across this time period. In addition to its astounding
height, the Yellowstone Caldera occupies an area of about 34 by 45 miles wide, and lies
atop a geological hotspot, sending molten rock from the Earth's mantle surging to the surface.
Though this supervolcano remains active, spewing steam and gases through the geothermal vents
located around the region, it hasn't released any lava flow in over 70 thousand years.
Still, scientists have recorded ground-swelling in the vicinity of the Yellowstone Caldera,
indicating the apparent inflation of the volcano's magma chamber.
Number 7. Etna On the east coast of Sicily sits a monumental
mountain of legend and the largest of Italy's three volcanoes in the intimidating Mount Etna.
This active stratovolcano measures 10,912 feet high and occupies an area of 459 square miles,
with a basal circumference of 87 miles, making the expanse of Etna roughly the size of Los Angeles!
A stratovolcano is one that is built up from many layers, or strata, of hardened lava that doesn't
sprea very far resulting in a steep conical shape. In Greek mythology the volcano has a special
significance as legend holds Zeus, king of the gods, trapped the serpentine monstrosity Typhon
beneath the base of the summit. Mount Etna was also said to host the forges of Hephaestus , the
Greek god of blacksmithing, craftsmanship, and volcanoes. In modern times, this volcano still
erupts with semi-regularity, emitting lava flows as recently as the summer of 2019.
Number 6. Mount Semeru Named for Sumeru,
the legendary mountain that serves as the "abode for the gods" in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology,
this active volcano is the highest on the island of Java. At an elevation of 12,060 feet,
it is among the most popular hiking attractions throughout Indonesia as well. But it's also
potentially dangerous due to its near-constant eruptions. Mount Semeru had erupted at least
55 times since it began being monitored regularly in 1818, spewing a combination of pyroclastic and
lava flows. But since 1967, this volcano has experienced a small eruption nearly every 20
minutes. This doesn't deter hikers, surprisingly, however there is still some danger to be wary of
with poisonous gases leaking from Semeru on some parts of the volcano's surface.
Number 5. Mount Fuji The highest volcano peak in Japan is the legendary
Mount Fuji, one of the nation's "Three Holy Mountains" looming over the rest of
the island of Honshū at a height of 12,389 feet above sea level. Though it sits roughly sixty
miles to the south-west of Tokyo, residents of the Japanese capital city can still view
the great snow-covered volcano on a clear day. Mount Fuji hasn't erupted in over 3 centuries,
with the last explosive events occurring in 1707 and 1708. Recent developments have
some locals worried, however, as the 2011 earthquake off the coast of Tōhoku
was thought by some scientists to have potentially induced volcanic unrest. Research, speculations,
and mathematical models have indicated the possibility that the magma chamber of Mount Fuji
could be at a higher pressure point than it was prior to its last eruption.
Number 4. Mauna Loa Though not quite the tallest, at 13,678 feet,
the Hawaiian shield volcano known as Mauna Loa is widely considered the largest volcano on Earth.
Shield volcanoes differ from stratovolcanoes in that their lava flows are more fluid so the
lava travels further resulting in a less steep shape. The slopes of Mauna Loa flow outward over
a wide expanse and the volume of this volcano are thought to measure out to 18 thousand cubic miles!
Still active, this summit tends to pour out a fluid, silicone-light lava with mild,
non-explosive eruptions. Scientists believe this volcano has been erupting continuously
for over 700 thousand years, but only breached above sea level in the past 400 thousand years.
There have been few fatalities due to these eruptions, historically speaking, but in both
1926 and 1950, entire villages were wiped out from lava flows.
Number 3. Galeras The Galeras is the most active
volcano in all of Columbia and stands tall amid the Andes with a peak at 14,029 feet above sea
level. Scientists believe this monstrous mound has been active now for over a million years,
and historians have tracked regular eruptions from the stratovolcano since the time of the
Spanish conquest, over 440 years ago. There was a short period in the late 20th century
where Galeras was thought to be dormant, but after a 10 year hiatus, it was deemed active once more
in 1988. One of its most devastating eruptions occurred in 1993 at the same as a meeting of
scientists called the Decade Volcano conference commenced. As these seismologists and geologists
met to discuss the state of the volcano, they mounted a spur-of-the-moment excursion on the
same day Galeras would erupt. Six scientists and three tourists perished from the ensuing chaos
and the volcano has been monitored even more closely ever since.
Number 2. Popocatepetl Rising out of central Mexico
is the Popocatepetl , an active volcano that towers over the three states it occupies at an
elevation of 17,802 feet. This great mountain receives its name from an Aztec language called
Nahuatl and translates to "Smoking Mountain". For years the volcano gestated its lava flows, tepidly
emitting smoke, until the start of the 1990s when volcanic activity began to rise sharply.
The volcano was initially the location of many massive glaciers and was just one of
three mountains in Mexico to contain them. But with the increased activity within the volcano,
the resulting rise in temperature, and the added effects of global climate change,
these glaciers melted away by the start of 2001. Ice can still be found on Popocatepetl's surface,
but gone are the features typical of glacial formations, such as dry snow zones and crevasses.
Number 1. Ojos Del Salado Translated from Spanish,
Nevado Ojos Del Salado means Snowy, Salty Eyes, an apt name for the powdered summit surrounded
by glaciers filled with large salt deposits. This active stratovolcano is the highest active volcano
on Earth at an elevation of 22,615 feet. It also happens to be the second highest mountain
in the Western and Southern Hemispheres, as well as the tallest peak in Chile.
This volcano among the Andes mountain range hasn't erupted in almost thirteen hundred years, however
minor ash emissions and analysis of fumaroles and lava flow tell that this summit is still active.