Major Active Volcanoes in the World

Volcanologists cannot agree on how to characterize “active volcanoes”. A volcano’s lifespan can range from months to numerous million years. It is not like the lifespan of a human being or even a civilization. Many of the earth’s volcanoes, for example, have exploded many times in the last few thousands of years, but it is not currently erupting. Volcanoes can be regarded as quite active due to their long existence, but their activeness can’t be determined on the basis of their recent dormancy.

This article will cover the basic definition and concept of an active volcano, along with the significant active volcano in India.

Definition of Active Volcanoes

A volcano is a hole in the crust of a planet or moon by which molten rock, heated gases, and other things erupt. As slabs of rock and ashes build-up from numerous eruptions, volcanoes generally form a mountain or hill. Volcanoes can be active, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes have recently erupted and are likely to do so again. Dormant volcanoes have not erupted in a long time, but they may do so in the future. Extinct volcanoes are unlikely to erupt again in the future.

Inside an active volcano, there is a chamber where molten rock, known as magma, accumulates. Pressure increases within the magma chamber, allowing the lava to flow through rock channels and out onto the planet’s surface. When magma flows to the surface, it is called lava. Some volcanic activities are explosive, whereas others take the form of a gradual lava flow. For example, eruptions might occur through an immediate opening at the volcano’s summit or vents on the volcano’s slopes. The form of the volcano is determined by the rate and severity of eruptions and the chemistry of the magma.

Volcanoes can be located on both the land and the seafloor. The expelled lava often cools and hardens whenever a volcano erupts on the seafloor, forming underwater hills and mountain ranges. When eruptions on the seafloor grow large enough to rise above the water’s surface, they become islands.

What is the Primary Active Volcano in India?

The Barren Island volcano in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are the only active volcanoes in India, has splashed lava and ash. Geologists believe the eruption is related to the present earthquake that shook Indonesia.

The eruption was first observed on September 25, 1787, by experts from the Geological Survey of India or GSI, when satellite photographs revealed the ejection of lava or magma material and ash on the island’s north flank. After that, numerous volcanic eruptions were preceded by minor earthquakes.

Barren Island is situated in the middle of the ocean, near the confluence of the Indian and Burmese plates. The island is located approximately 138 kilometers from Port Blair and can only be reached by boat or seaplane. In 1787, the island had its first volcanic eruption. The most recent eruption happened in November of 2020.

The 354-meter-high Barren Island, one of Andaman’s most pristine treasures, is an active volcano in India, with a volcanic crater almost 2 kilometers. Barren Island is the only active volcano in a range stretching from Sumatra to Myanmar. The island was devastated by a massive explosion in 1991, damaging the region’s biodiversity and reducing the number of bird species and habitats.

What is the largest active volcano in the world?

Mauna Loa, Hawaii’s largest active volcano, rises slowly to more than 4 km over sea level. Its submarine flanks slope another 5 km to the sea bottom, and the seafloor is further depressed by Mauna Loa’s massive mass by another 8 km. This places the volcano’s summit around 17 kilometers above its base.

In 2013, experts surprised geology lovers by claiming that Mauna Loa, a 2,000-square-mile shielding volcano in Hawaii, was not the world’s largest volcano. According to scientists, that honour belongs to Tamu Massif, an ancient volcanic peak on the ocean east of Japan that seemed to be a single stratovolcano measuring 100,000 square miles, nearly the size of the state of Arizona.

However, a new study published in Nature Geoscience recently re-examined Tamu Massif and reached a very opposite outcome; it is not a shield volcano, which means Mauna Loa reclaims the title. In an unexpected twist, both papers’ primary author is the same man, William Sager, a marine geoscientist from the University of Houston.

Conclusion

Besides continuous bands of volcanoes on the seafloor at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the earth has roughly 1,350 potentially active volcanoes. Approximately 500 of the 1,350 volcanoes have erupted in recorded history. Many of these are found along the Rim of the Pacific Ocean, termed as the “Ring of Fire.” Barren Island volcano, the active volcano in India, is one of the most popular.