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Introduction:
Volcanoes are one of the most well-known features on the surface of a planet. They serve as natural fountains of wonder and beauty with their towering spouts, plumes, and lava streams. But looking at their remote nature, you can’t help but wonder: how did they come to exist in the first place? Volcanoes were born out of vast stretches of molten rock spewed out by magma chambers deep within Earth’s crust.
What are Volcanoes?
A volcano is a place of eruption that features one or more vents through which magma, tephra, and gases escape from a magma chamber below the surface of the earth.
Volcanoes are generally classified into two types based on their activity:
(i) Explosive vulcanian volcanoes;
(ii) Eruptive or effusive stratovolcanoes.
The height of a volcano is measured from its base to its highest peak.
The world’s largest volcanoes are measured by their height and volume.
Why do Volcanoes erupt?
The main reasons for volcano eruptions are based on the type of magma which is present under the earth’s surface.
The following are some of the causes which induce volcanic eruption:
(i) Pressure: When pressure is put on a magma chamber, it causes an increase in temperature and pressure within it, sometimes followed by an increase in the viscosity of the magma.
(ii) Hydrostatic pressure: This occurs when plates are moving against each other and pressing them together. Such a situation can cause an increase in pressure within the magma chamber.
(iii) Lithosphere (the outer shell): The lithosphere of one part of the earth rests on another part.
(iv) Temperature: The increase in temperature of the magma may also induce an eruption.
(v) Fault lines along the crust: It is possible that a fault line that is present in the earth’s lithosphere might get triggered, letting out the pressure within the magma chamber.
(vi) Plate tectonic movements: The movement occurring between two different continental plates may also lead to a change in pressure which causes an eruption to occur.
(vii) Magmatic Eruption: This happens when there is an increased level of lava within a volcano.
The factors that cause volcanic activity are usually related to regional tectonic environments and local conditions that may vary from one volcano to another.
Below is the list of the largest volcanoes in the world:
Volcanoes in the World | Location & Feature | Metres | Feet |
Mauna Loa | Hawaii, U.S.A | 9170 | 30085 |
Haleakalā | Hawaii, U.S.A | 9144 | 30000 |
Teide | Canary Islands, Spain | 7500 | 24606 |
Piton des Neiges | Reunion, France | 7071 | 23199 |
Ojos del Salado | Argentina/Chile – Highest active volcano on Earth | 6893 | 22615 |
Llullaillaco | Argentina/Chile – Second highest active volcano on Earth | 6739 | 22110 |
Nevado Sajama | Bolivia – The highest peak of Bolivia | 6542 | 21463 |
Chimborazo | Ecuador – Farthest point from Earth’s centre | 6267 | 20561 |
Cotopaxi | Ecuador – Second highest in Ecuador | 5897 | 19347 |
Kilimanjaro | Tanzania – Highest volcano outside South America; the highest peak in Africa | 5895 | 19341 |
Cayambe | Ecuador – Third highest in Ecuador | 5790 | 18996 |
Mount Elbrus | Russia – Highest volcano in Eurasia; the highest peak in Russia | 5642 | 18510 |
Pico de Orizaba | Mexico – Highest volcano in North America; the highest peak in Mexico | 5636 | 18491 |
Mount Damavand | Iran – Highest volcano within Asia; the highest peak in Iran | 5610 | 18406 |
Popocatépetl | Mexico – Second highest volcano in North America | 5426 | 17802 |
Iztaccíhuatl | Mexico – Third highest volcano in North America | 5230 | 17159 |
Mount Kenya | Kenya – Second highest volcano in Africa; the highest mountain in Kenya | 5199 | 17057 |
Mount Ararat | Turkey/Armenia – The highest mountain in Turkey | 5137 | 16854 |
Mount Kazbek | Georgia – Highest volcano in Georgia | 5047 | 16558 |
Mount Bona | Alaska – highest volcano in the United States | 5005 | 16421 |
Klyuchevskaya Sopka | The Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia – highest active in Eurasia; the highest mountain in Siberia | 4750 | 15584 |
Mount Karisimbi | Rwanda/Democratic Republic of Congo – highest mountain in Rwanda | 4507 | 14787 |
Mount Rainier | Washington – highest volcano in the contiguous United States | 4392 | 14409 |
Mount Giluwe | Papua New Guinea – highest volcano in Australasia and Pacific islands | 4368 | 14331 |
Volcán Tajumulco | Guatemala – highest mountain in Central America | 4220 | 13845 |
Mauna Kea | Hawaii, United States – World’s tallest mountain from base to summit | 4205 | 13796 |
Mount Sidley | Antarctica – Highest volcano in Antarctica | 4181 | 13717 |
Mount Cameroon | Cameroon – highest mountain in Cameroon | 4095 | 13435 |
Mount Aragats | Armenia – highest mountain in Armenia | 4095 | 13435 |
Mount Kerinci | Sumatra, Indonesia – Highest volcano in Indonesia; the highest mountain in Sumatra | 3805 | 12484 |
Mount Fuji | Chūbu Region, Honshū – highest mountain in Japan | 3776 | 12388 |
Mount Rinjani | Lombok, Indonesia – Second-highest volcano in Indonesia | 3726 | 12224 |
Teide | Tenerife, Canary Islands – the highest peak in the Atlantic Islands and Spain | 3718 | 12198 |
Semeru | Java, Indonesia – highest mountain in Java | 3676 | 12060 |
Emi Koussi | Chad – the highest mountain in Chad & the Sahara | 3415 | 11204 |
Mount Etna | Sicily – active; highest volcano in Western Europe; the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps | 3329 | 10922 |
Haleakalā | Maui, Hawaii – the highest peak of Maui | 3055 | 10023 |
Mount Agung | Bali, Indonesia – highest mountain in Bali | 3031 | 9944 |
Pico Basilé | Bioko, Equatorial Guinea – the highest mountain in Equatorial Guinea | 3011 | 9879 |
Mount Zuqualla | Oromia Region – highest volcano in Ethiopia | 2989 | 9806 |
Mount Apo | Mindanao – highest mountain in the Philippines | 2954 | 9692 |
Mount Shishaldin (Sisquk) | Unimak Island, Alaska – highest mountain in the Aleutian Islands | 2857 | 9373 |
Mount Ruapehu | North Island – highest volcano in New Zealand | 2797 | 9177 |
Mawson Peak | Heard Island – the highest mountain in Australia | 2745 | 9006 |
Pico | Azores – highest mountain in Portugal | 2351 | 7713 |
Beerenberg | Jan Mayen, Norway – highest volcano in Norway | 2277 | 7470 |
Taal Volcano | Batangas, Philippines – – Smallest volcano on earth | 311 | 1020 |
Pali-Aike volcanic field | Argentina–Chile border region | 180 | 591 |
Conclusion:
All the above-mentioned volcanoes have one thing in common, that is, they are all active which makes them very dangerous. There are some volcanoes on earth that are yet to be discovered by humans. The surprising fact about these volcanoes is that scientists can find more about them and their characteristics by investigating meteorites. The reason for this is that, when a comet falls near the surface of the earth some of its rocks get mixed with the Earth’s soil and this mixture can reveal many things about an unknown volcano.
