Volcanic planets. The most amazing volcanoes on planet earth. Earth's Greatest Active Volcanic Mountains

Despite their deadly nature, various volcanoes have long attracted people. Previously, people were attracted by fertile soils, enriched with minerals and trace elements due to the activity of volcanoes, now tourists are attracted by the beauty and majesty of these natural objects.

Where are the largest volcanoes on the world map?

Most of the modern active volcanoes are located in Pacific volcanic ring- the area in which the largest number of eruptions and 90% of earthquakes on our planet occur.

The second most powerful seismic zone is the Mediterranean fold belt, which stretches from the Indonesian islands to.

The strongest eruption in history

The most destructive eruption in terms of its consequences is considered to be the catastrophe that occurred in 1883 during the explosion Krakatoa volcano located in . During this cataclysm, more than 36 thousand people died, more than 165 cities and villages were completely destroyed, and ash was released to a height of 70 kilometers.

The force of the explosion during the eruption exceeded the force of a nuclear bomb over Hiroshima by 10 thousand times. Most deaths are a consequence of huge tsunami caused by the eruption. The island on which Krakatoa was located was almost completely destroyed during the disaster. The sound of the explosion spread over a distance of 5 thousand kilometers from the epicenter of the disaster.

Earth's Greatest Active Volcanic Mountains

The largest active volcanoes in the world by volume:

Mauna Loa, Hawaii, with a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers;
Kilimanjaro(Tanzania), which is considered dormant but could potentially become active, has a volume of 4,800 cubic kilometers;
Volcano Sierra Negra, located in the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) has a volume of 580 cubic kilometers.

Which country has the largest source of lava?

In terms of size, there is no equal to the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa, which has a volume of 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The title of the highest is disputed by 2 volcanoes from South America:

Llullaillaco, located on the border of Argentina and Chile with an altitude of more than 6 thousand meters;
Cotopaxi, located in Ecuador with an altitude of 5897 meters.

Description with names

There are between 1000 and 1500 active volcanoes on our planet. Many of them are located near densely populated areas and pose a threat to human life. The most dangerous volcanoes, which are under special surveillance, are included in UN Decade Volcanoes list.

Merapi

Merapi, which means in Indonesian "mountain of fire", recognized as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Asia. It is located in the south of the island of Java in Indonesia, and its peak rises to a height of 3 thousand meters.

Significant eruptions of Merapi occur at intervals of approximately 7 years; throughout its history, Merapi has repeatedly caused the death of many people. In 1930, the eruption killed 1,400 people, and in 2010 more than 350 thousand people had to be evacuated, killing 353 island residents.

Located near Merapi Yogyakarta city, in the agglomeration of which more than 2 million people live. Due to its activity and danger to human life, Merapi is included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Sakurajima

Sakurazdima Volcano (Japan) is located on Kyushu island, its peak rises to a height of 1110 meters. The first eruption recorded by chronicles occurred in 963, and the most powerful one dates back to 1914, but thanks to the tremors that preceded it, most of the local residents managed to evacuate, and “only” 35 people died.

Since the mid-20th century, the volcano has been constantly active. Happen every year thousands of small explosions and ash emissions.

In 2013, there was a large ash emission reaching a height of 4000 meters.

Sakurajima is also on the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Aso

Volcano Aso is also located on Kyushu island in Japan. The highest point of Aso is at an altitude of 1592 meters. During the period of observation of the volcano, about 165 large and medium eruptions occurred, many of which resulted in human casualties.

The last time people died as a result of a volcanic eruption was in 1979, when 3 people died and 11 were injured. But Aso is dangerous not only for its eruptions, poisonous volcanic gas fumes They regularly poison tourists who try to conquer Aso. The last such incident occurred in 1997, when two climbers died.

The last eruption of Aso was noted in 2011, ash emission occurred to a height of up to 2 kilometers.

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Nyiragongo

Nyiragongo is located in the territory DR Congo in the Virunga mountain system (Africa). In the crater of the volcano there is the world's largest lava lake, the depth of which can reach 3 kilometers. In 1977, the crater wall ruptured, causing a large flow of lava into the surrounding area, ultimately killing 70 people.

During observations of Nyiragongo since 1882, it was recorded 34 major volcanic eruptions. A feature of the Nyiragongo eruptions is the extremely rapid flow of lava, reaching speeds of 100 kilometers per hour. During a major eruption in 2002, 400 thousand residents of the city of Goma, located near the volcano, were evacuated. Nevertheless, 147 of them died as a result of this cataclysm, and the city itself suffered significant damage.

All these factors make Nyiragongo one of the the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet, for which he was rightly included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

Galeras

The Galeras volcano is located in Colombia near the city of Pasto, whose population is more than 400 thousand people. Its height exceeds 4200 meters. Due to its danger, Galeras was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade that pose the greatest threat in the foreseeable future.

It is believed that over the past 7,000 years, Galeras has experienced at least 6 major eruptions, the last of which was recorded in 1993.

Mauna Loa

The Mauna Loa volcano is located on Hawaiian Islands belonging to the United States of America. This giant volcano occupies more than half the area of Hawaii, the height of the peak above sea level is 4169 meters, but most of the volcano is located under water. Together with the underwater part, its height from base to top reaches 9170 meters, which exceeds the height of Everest.

Mauna Loa erupts according to what is called Hawaiian type with an outpouring of lava, but without explosions and large ash emissions. Observations of the volcano have been carried out only since 1832, but during this time 39 major eruptions of Mauna Loa have been recorded. This volcano was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade due to the huge lava flows accompanying the eruption and the densely populated area in its immediate vicinity.

The summit of the volcano and its slopes were included in the list UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Colima

The most active volcano in Central America is located in the state of Jalisco. Thanks to her activity, Colima received the nickname "little Vesuvius", its height exceeds 3800 meters.

Over the past 450 years, more than 40 large and medium-sized volcanic eruptions have been recorded, the last of which occurred on September 12, 2016. More than 400 thousand people live near Colima, making it America's most dangerous volcano. For this reason, the volcano was included in the list of Volcanoes of the Decade.

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Vesuvius

The most famous volcano in the world is located on the Apennine Peninsula in. The lonely peak of Vesuvius, 1281 meters high, rises above the vast fields of the province of Campania and is part of the Apennine mountain system.

Located just 15 kilometers from Naples, Vesuvius has repeatedly gone down in history with its catastrophic eruptions; about 80 major ones alone were recorded. In 79 AD, the most destructive eruption of Vesuvius, during which famous cities perished:

Pompeii;
Oplontis;
Herculaneum;
Stabiae.

It is believed that at least 16 thousand people died during this disaster.

In 1944, the last eruption of Vesuvius occurred, during which cities were destroyed Weight And San Sebastiano, 27 people became victims. Since then, Vesuvius has not shown much activity, but the danger of a new eruption always remains. Vesuvius is one of the main attractions of the province of Campania and its visit is included in the excursion tour when traveling to Naples.

Etna

Another famous volcano in Italy is located in the east of the island of Sicily and is the highest volcano, rising to a height of 2329 meters. Etna erupts several times a year. History has recorded several major eruptions of this volcano that led to devastating consequences:

Was destroyed in 122 AD Catania city;
In 1169, during the large-scale eruption of Etna, they died 15 thousand people;
In 1669, Catania suffered again, houses were destroyed 27 thousand people;
In 1928, the ancient Maskali city.

Despite the danger of the volcano, the inhabitants of the island continue to settle on its slopes. The reason for this is fertile soil, enriched with minerals and trace elements contained in cooled lava flows and ash.

Etna is one of the main natural attractions of Sicily; tourists from all over the world come to see the volcano and climb to its top.

Popocatepetl

Volcano Popocatepetl, or El Popo, as locals affectionately call it, is located in Mexico, 70 kilometers from the capital of this country, Mexico City. The height of the volcano is almost 5500 meters. Popocatépetl has erupted more than 15 times over the past 500 years, with the most recent one occurring as recently as 2015. An extinct volcano is located near Popocatepetl. Iztaccihuatl.

A trip to these volcanoes is an integral part of the excursion program when visiting Mexico City.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka

The highest volcano in Eurasia is located on the Kamchatka Peninsula and is considered the most famous of the many volcanoes of Kamchatka. The highest point outside the Caucasus Mountains reaches an altitude of 4750 meters. It is the most active volcano in Eurasia, with an average of almost every year. The last significant eruption occurred in 2013, the height of the ash emission was 10-12 kilometers. The eruption was accompanied by mud flows and ashfall.

Cotopaxi

The active Cotopaxi volcano is located in South America on the territory of the state Ecuador part of the Andes mountain system. The height of the peak of Cotopaxi is 5897 meters. In the entire history of observations, 86 eruptions have been recorded, the largest of which led to the complete destruction of the city of Latacunga in 1786. The last activity of Cotopaxi was noticed in 1942, after which the volcano is still dormant.

Famous extinct giants

In addition to active volcanoes, there are many extinct volcanoes on our planet that do not exhibit volcanic activity.

Supreme

The tallest extinct volcano on the planet, Aconcagua, is located in Argentina and is part of the Andes mountain system. Aconcagua is not only the highest extinct volcano in the world, but also the highest peak in the Americas, Western and Southern Hemispheres. The height of Aconcagua exceeds 6950 meters.

Sleeping giants

Many extinct volcanoes are now considered simply mountains, although some of them could potentially “wake up” and begin to become active. Such volcanoes, which may become active in the future, are called "sleeping".

Famous Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (Africa) is a dormant volcano that is not active. Scientists believe that one day Kilimanjaro may wake up, then this potential volcano will become one of the highest in the world, because the height of Kilimanjaro is 5895 meters above sea level.

Colossal supervolcano Yellowstone was considered extinct, but scientists have found that there is little activity in it, so now Yellowstone is classified as a dormant volcano. The giant last erupted almost a million years ago.

It is believed that if Yellowstone wakes up, a potential eruption will become one of the largest disasters in the history of the Earth, every third inhabitant of the planet will die, and several US states will be completely destroyed.

Yellowstone eruption will provoke many earthquakes, giant tsunami waves and other volcanic eruptions, which will affect almost every inhabitant of the planet. The ash ejected by the volcano will cover the surface of the earth from the sun for a year and a half, and a volcanic winter will occur throughout the planet.

However, not all scientists believe that the consequences of this cataclysm will be so serious. In any case, the eruption of this volcano remains one of the main potential threats to humans.

The largest extinct volcano in Russia is 5642 meters. It is located on the border of the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. Refers to the list of the highest peaks in six parts of the world. Scientists consider the activity of the volcano not so much completed as fading.
The largest volcano of our time cannot be visited and is very difficult to see, since it is under water. Array Tamu located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and is located approximately 1,600 kilometers east of the Japanese Islands. Its dimensions are 650 by 450 kilometers; in scale, the array is one of the largest not only on Earth, but in the entire solar system. The last volcanic eruption occurred 140 million years ago.
Dormant volcanoes Big and Small Ararat are now located on the territory and belong to the category of volcanoes that do not exhibit volcanic activity. The peak of Mount Ararat, reaching 5165 meters, is the highest point in Turkey.
One of the highest peaks of the Caucasus, Mount Kazbek is also an extinct volcano. Kazbek is located on the border with Russia, the top point of the mountain is located at an altitude of more than 5 kilometers. During research, volcanic ash from an eruption that allegedly occurred 40 thousand years ago was found in one of the Kazbek caves.

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Watch a video about these and other volcanoes in the world:

Volcanoes are geological formations on the surface of the earth's crust where magma comes to the surface, forming lava, volcanic gases, rocks and pyroclastic flows. The word “Vulcan” comes from the name of the ancient Roman god of fire, Vulcan. There are several thousand volcanoes on earth, more than 500 of which are active. In our list we will talk about the 11 largest and highest volcanoes on the planet.

11

Tajumulco is a volcano in western Guatemala. It has an altitude of 4220 meters, is part of the burrow system of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and the highest point in Guatemala and Central America. The volcano cone has two peaks; the eastern cone is ancient with a crater with a diameter of about 70 meters, the western one is young. There are oak and pine forests on the slopes, and xerophytic mountain meadows in the upper part. There is several evidence of its eruptions in historical times, but none of them are reliably confirmed.

10

The volcano in Washington state, 4392 meters high, is located 88 kilometers from Seattle in Pierce County. Rainier is a dormant stratovolcano, but there is evidence of volcanic activity from 1820 to 1894. Today, according to the USGS, in the event of a strong eruption, about 150 thousand people could be in danger. Rainier is one of the most glacially rich mountains in the world, on the slopes of which are the sources of many rivers. Up to a height of 2500 meters, the volcano is covered with coniferous forests, above - alpine meadows, above 2800 meters - glaciers and eternal snow. On the peaks there are 40 glaciers with an area of 87 km², the largest of which is Emmons - 14 km². The volcano and surrounding area are protected and have the status of Mount Rainier National Park.

9

Klyuchevskaya Sopka is an active volcano in eastern Kamchatka, about 7,000 years old. It has a height of 4850 meters, a crater diameter of 1250 meters and a crater depth of 340 meters. It is the highest active volcano on the Eurasian continent. It is a regular cone with 70 side cones, domes and craters. Despite the high altitude of the volcano, there is no snow or glaciers on it. This is caused by active volcanic activity. Klyuchevskoy volcano was formed only due to summit eruptions. Over 270 years, more than 50 strong eruptions occurred. During the 2004-2005 eruption, the ash column reached a record height of 8,000 m.

8

It is the highest active volcano in the Andean volcanic belt, 40 km north of the city of Manizales. Nevado del Ruiz is located within the Los Nevados National Park and is part of the Ruiz Tolima massif and includes a group of five snow-capped volcanoes: Tolima, Santa Isabel, Quindia and Machin. The Cordillera is located at the intersection of four deep faults that are still partially active. The top of the volcano is covered by large glaciers, but they are rapidly retreating thanks to global warming. This volcano has been active for about 2 million years. Its relatively minor eruption in 1985, after a 150-year period of inactivity, almost completely destroyed and cut off the town of Armero from the outside world and led to the death of 23 thousand of its inhabitants.

7

Seventh place in the list of the largest volcanoes in the world was taken by this active stratovolcano in South America. Sangay is located in Ecuador, on the eastern slope of the Andes and has three craters. The height above sea level is 5230 meters. A young cone rises above the ancient volcano, cut by deep gorges. Almost continuously since 1728, the volcano emitted steam and ash, covering the surrounding area. The volcano is believed to have formed about 14,000 years ago. The last eruption was in 2007. At the top there is eternal snow.

6

Popocatepetl is an active volcano and the second highest mountain in Mexico, with an altitude of 5426 meters. The name comes from two words in the Nahuatl language: popo - “smoking” and tepetl - “hill”. There are three state capitals around the volcano - Puebla, Tlaxcala and Mexico City, with a total population of more than 20 million people. The volcano has a perfect conical shape, a very deep oval crater, with almost vertical walls. Most eruptions over the past 600 years have been relatively weak. In September 2006, the volcano resumed activity, with periodic ash emissions over the volcano's crater.

5

Peak Orizaba is the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. Its height is 5636 meters. Difficult terrain, significant altitude above sea level, strong winds - all this caused the presence of several climatic zones on the volcano. While tropical vegetation can be observed at the foot of the eastern side of the volcano, at higher levels the vegetation is more similar to alpine. And to the south and southeast there are large fields of small cinder cones and maars - funnel-shaped depressions that appeared during the explosion of gases, up to 300-400 m deep and exceeding 3 km in diameter. Although Orizaba has fallen asleep since the last volcanic eruption occurred in 1687, he can suddenly awaken and show his hot temper.

4

A volcano in South America in southern Peru, whose height is 5822 meters, and the top is covered with snow only in winter. 17 km to the west is Peru's second largest city, Arequipa, with a population of about 1 million people. The volcano has three concentric craters. Fumarole activity can be observed in the inner crater. Geological studies indicate that El Misti has had 5 weak eruptions over the past hundred years. In the 15th century, a strong volcanic eruption forced the residents of the city of Arequipa to flee. The last weak eruption was recorded in 1985.

3

The third largest volcano on the planet is the Cotopaxi Volcano. This volcano is located in Ecuador and is the highest active volcano in the country, its height is 5911 meters. The area at the base is 16 km by 19 km, and the top, starting at an altitude of 5200 meters, is covered with an ice cap. The icy crater of the volcano reaches a diameter of about 800 meters, and in the lower part there is peculiar vegetation - mountain meadows and pine forests with mosses and lichens. Since 1738, Cotopaxi has erupted about 50 times.

2

This extinct volcano is part of the Cordillera Oxidetal range and the highest point in Ecuador. Its height is 6267 meters, and it was formed about 60 million years BC. The top of the volcano is completely covered with ice, in some places dropping to a height of 4600 m. Melt water from the mountain is the main water resource for residents of the provinces of Bolivar and Chimborazo. Today, the top of this volcano is the most distant point on its surface from the center of the Earth. The last volcanic eruption occurred around 550 AD.

1

The largest volcano on the planet is an active volcano in the Western Cordillera of the Andes, on the border of Chile and Argentina - Llullaillaco. The height of this giant is 6739 meters. At the top there is eternal glaciation. Located in one of the driest places in the world - the Atacama Desert, the snow line on the western slope exceeds 6.5 thousand meters. Llullaillaco is also a famous archaeological site - in 1999, the mummified bodies of three Inca children, believed to have been sacrificed 500 years ago, were discovered on its summit.

100 great mysteries of astronomy Volkov Alexander Viktorovich

Does the planet Vulcan exist?

A century and a half ago, the planet Vulcan was discovered, whose orbit was located between Mercury and the Sun. Subsequently, Albert Einstein proved that this celestial body should not exist. However, more than half a century later, the planet Vulcan appeared in the popular television series Star Trek. Is her mystery still not solved? The mystery of this hypothetical planet, discovered at the tip of a pen by an astronomer who had previously become famous for another similar prediction?

So, in 1846, the French scientist Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier, having studied the peculiarities of the movement of Uranus, calculated the orbit and position of the neighboring planet, which was not yet known, which was called Neptune. A few years later, his attention was drawn to some oddities in the behavior of the planet closest to the Sun - Mercury. Its orbit was not at all perfectly elliptical. This means that, having completed a revolution around the Sun, Mercury did not return to its starting point. In other words, with each new revolution its perihelion, that is, the point of its orbit closest to the Sun, shifted slightly.

The French mathematician Le Verrier, studying the deviations of the orbit of Mercury, suggested the existence of a planet, which he gave the name “Vulcan”

A similar phenomenon is typical for all planets in the solar system. It is caused by the attraction of nearby celestial bodies. In the case of Mercury, it is “pulled” towards itself by Venus, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. The perihelion point slowly rotates around the Sun (today it is known that it completes a full revolution in more than 225 thousand years). Over one century, the rotation of perihelion is 574 arc seconds (in one degree - 3600 arc seconds). However, if we take into account the influence of the known planets - and Le Verrier meticulously noted all the positions of perihelion - then this value should be equal to 531 seconds. Strangely, the perihelion of Mercury “ran” forward by 43 seconds every hundred years.

Apparently, somewhere nearby, between Mercury and the Sun, there was another planet that had not yet been discovered. The famous astronomer named this celestial body, literally bathed in solar fire, “Vulcan” in honor of the Roman god of fire. (To be fair, it must be said that the results of the calculations carried out by Le Verrier were, in today’s opinion, not entirely accurate, but they correctly conveyed the essence of the phenomenon - an inexplicable shift in the perihelion).

Le Verrier published the results of his calculations in September 1859, and soon after, the French physician and amateur astronomer Edmond Lescarbault told him that on March 26, 1859, he saw a round black spot on the Sun, which in just 75 minutes moved to a distance exceeding a quarter of the solar diameter . Le Verrier went to his correspondent and got acquainted with the information he had collected. This allowed him to determine that the unknown planet revolved around the Sun in 19 days and 7 hours. Its average distance from the Sun was 21 million kilometers, equal to about a third of the radius of Mercury's orbit, and its mass was 17 times less than its mass. Le Verrier became convinced that the planet discovered by his colleague was too small to explain the features of Mercury's orbit. However, it could be only one of several planets located near the Sun.

Other astronomers also responded to this event. Thus, researcher from Zurich Rudolf Wolf reported his observations. This allowed Le Verrier to discover two more small planets near the Sun. The circulation period of one of them was 26 days, and the second – 38 days.

The New Year of 1860 was supposed to be a triumph for the French master. He was confident that during a total solar eclipse, which was expected in Spain, these planets, discovered by calculations, could finally be seen, but this did not happen. Is it really a fiasco?

A debate ensued among astronomers. Some still mistook any suspicious spots on the Sun for a mysterious planet that had passed the solar disk, while others denied its right to exist.

Until his death in 1877, Le Verrier was convinced that the planet Vulcan could be found. However, after many years of unsuccessful searches, most astronomers have lost faith in this.

The riddle of the planet Vulcan was finally solved on November 18, 1915. It was on this day that Albert Einstein published his explanation for the strange behavior of Mercury. What seemed incomprehensible from the point of view of Newtonian mechanics found its interpretation as soon as one turned to the general theory of relativity.

According to it, the Sun “curves” space and distorts the orbits of planets. If we describe the movement of Mercury in Euclidean space according to Newton's laws of mechanics, it seems that it is moving too fast. However, if we turn to non-Euclidean geometry and Einstein's theory, the strangeness disappears. The difference in these calculations is the same 43 arc seconds that prompted Le Verrier to come up with the planet Vulcan. Now she had to be written off as unnecessary.

Interest in Le Verrier's hypothesis was briefly aroused in 1970, when, during a total solar eclipse, some researchers discovered some strange, faintly luminous objects in the vicinity of the Sun. Astronomers later suggested that these were comets.

So, in the 19th and 20th centuries, researchers observed the planet Vulcan more than once, and now it is unlikely that they will be able to establish what they actually saw. Some "observations" could be explained by a simple defect in the optics. Even a bird flying in the distance could be mistaken for a planet. However, there is a known case when, on the same day, two astronomers living in different cities noticed, independently of each other, an object that was moving across the disk of the Sun. Perhaps it was an asteroid, although science still does not know of a single reliably confirmed case of an asteroid passing across the solar disk.

The planet Vulcan has disappeared from the annals of astronomy to give way to... a whole scattering of planets that deserve the same name. Enthusiasts continue to search for “volcanoids” - small planets whose orbits may be located inside the orbit of Mercury.

In principle, astronomers have no doubt that some asteroids may be found between Mercury and the Sun. It is known that in the distant past, Mercury was subjected to “formal bombardment” - numerous craters left on its surface after the fall of large meteorites remind us of that time. Perhaps the reason for this “shelling” was the proximity to the asteroid belt. Since then, this cluster of small planets has obviously thinned out considerably, but perhaps several of these planets are still circling the Sun in close proximity to it?

So what do we know about vulcanoids, even if we have not yet been able to detect them? Obviously, these are very small planets, not exceeding fifty kilometers in diameter. Larger celestial bodies orbiting near the Sun would certainly be noticed by the SOHO solar observatory. The distance at which they should be looked for is also known. Probably, the belt of circumsolar asteroids, if any, is located in the range of 0.15-0.18 astronomical units from the Sun, that is, almost next to it. Their surface temperatures are expected to be between 700 and 900 Kelvin. However, despite persistent searches, within the orbit of Mercury it has so far been possible to notice only individual asteroids, which, moving along very elongated trajectories, for some time approached the Sun closer than this planet. To where they would meet the Vulcanoids? Or not?

This text is an introductory fragment.

Humanity's interest in the most amazing and exotic corners of our planet Earth is quite justified and has recently flared up with renewed vigor, given the unique opportunity to travel around the world, visiting the most closed and inaccessible places.

Reflecting on the topic of the southernmost active volcano on Earth, most people uninformed in this matter for some reason have associations with the Sicilian Etna or, in extreme cases, some dormant vent in sultry Ethiopia. In fact, these assumptions have absolutely nothing to do with reality and the southernmost active volcano is Erebus, located in distant Antarctica, which in its height is second only to the active Sidley volcano, located nearby on the same continent. This volcano was first discovered back in 1841, after which in 1908 its peak was conquered by one of the scientific expeditions whose goal was a detailed study of the entire South Pole).

What is noteworthy is that since 1972 it was found that the formation began to “wake up” and today Erebus is one of the most active volcanoes of our multifaceted and amazing planet. Among other things, brave scientists managed to establish the fact that in the depths of its active crater lies a unique lava lake. The location of the volcano itself suggests constant powerful emissions of gas from deep faults in the earth's crust, on which it actually formed. It should be noted that these processes, although absolutely natural, are by no means safe for planet Earth as a whole.

The fact is that gases constantly emitted from the depths, among which elements such as hydrogen and methane should be singled out in a special niche, tend to reach the protective layer of the planet’s air envelope - the ozone layer, thereby maximizing its destruction. Surprisingly, its most deplorable condition (meaning the thickness of the ozone coating) is observed not over the noisiest megacities with huge industrial production and lines of cars “smoking the sky” with their exhaust gases, but rather over Rossa (the territory of the island and the waters of the sea of the same name) . It is in this place that the peak of Erebus and its three companions, which awakened in 1972, are located, which, however, are recognized as extinct, which means that they have irrevocably ceased their activity. Moreover, it is Erebus that leads in height, the height of which reaches more than three thousand meters, in contrast to the three neighboring “dead” volcanoes, although it is inferior to Sidley, located on Mary Byrd Land.

It is quite possible that this scale and grandeur was the main reason for the tragedy that occurred in 1979, when a New Zealand airline plane crashed on the slope of Erebus, killing all passengers and crew on board.

Planets and satellites of planets with extinct and active volcanic activity: Io, Earth, Mars, Moon, Venus, Mercury

Planets with active volcanic activity

Although there are traces of volcanic activity and volcanic rocks on all the “terrestrial-type” planets included in the composition (and on many satellites of the gas giant planets), active volcanism is currently observed only in two of its celestial bodies - our planet Earth and the satellite of Jupiter - And about.

Volcanoes of planet Earth

Volcanic processes occurring on Earth are quite well studied and described by many researchers. In total, over 800 active volcanoes are known on the surface of the Earth, two-thirds of them are concentrated on the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean. There are also a huge number of extinct volcanoes on Earth. At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean alone, there are currently about 1,000 mountains of volcanic origin more than 1 km high. It will not be wrong to say that almost all, or almost all, seamounts are volcanoes.

The largest volcanoes on Earth are:

Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in Africa
Cotopaxi (5897 m) in South America
Misti (5821 m) in South America
Orizaba (5700 m) in Mexico
Popocatepetl (5452 m) in Mexico
Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4835 m) in Kamchatka
Mauna Kea (4205 m) in the Hawaiian Islands

The annual “productivity” of all active volcanoes on Earth is 3-6 billion tons of erupted matter. This means that from the depths of the Earth a huge amount of molten material with a temperature of over 1000 ° C comes to the surface every year: ash, slag, volcanic bombs, erupted lava flows, etc.

Thus, volcanism is a very important process in the formation of the outer shell of the Earth.

Volcanoes of Jupiter's moon Io

The second body of the solar system on which modern active volcanic activity has been reliably established is the closest satellite of Jupiter - And about.

Its diameter is 3640 km, which is approximately 150 km larger than the diameter of the Moon. The surface of this moon is marked with dark craters, around which lava flows are usually visible. A number of images obtained from automatic space stations revealed clear traces of active volcanism. Pale greenish-white clouds of volcanic emissions extended to altitudes of 100-280 km. The emission speed reached 1 km/s. The caldera of one of the volcanoes is a ring structure with a diameter of about 300 km.

Even the simplest analysis of images from the Voyager 1 spacecraft made it possible to detect seven active volcanoes on the surface of Io, which erupted repeatedly during the four days when they were in the field of view of the station’s television cameras. Four months later, during the flight of another station, at least six of the previously discovered volcanoes continued their active volcanic activity.

Volcanic eruption on Io, a satellite of Jupiter.

Volcanic eruptions on Io are explosive in nature. Similar volcanic activity on Earth occurs with the active participation of water vapor. Volcanic explosions during volcanic eruptions on Io are apparently caused by the presence of sulfur dioxide. Scientists believe that Io's interior is almost completely molten due to Jupiter's very active tidal influence, and Io's surface is covered with a layer of sulfur several kilometers thick.

The interaction of the hot interior with the surface layer of sulfur led to the formation of an atmosphere, ionosphere, and the formation of a torus ring consisting of charged particles along the orbit. Its interaction with Jupiter's magnetosphere results in grandiose "auroras."

The first evidence of modern extraterrestrial volcanism suggests that Io is a celestial body much more volcanically active than Earth. Preliminary estimates by scientists studying the intensity of volcanic activity on Io indicate that the surface of this satellite is transforming at a rate of 1 mm per year. This figure is quite impressive on a geological time scale. Constant renewal of the surface occurs as a result of lava outpourings and ejections of material from volcanic vents.

Planets with ceased volcanic activity

Volcanoes on the Moon

As a result of studying numerous photographs of the Moon and direct human study of its surface and soil composition, it was concluded that the Ocean of Storms is composed of ancient volcanic rocks of basic composition -.

Volcanic activity on the Moon ceased about 3 billion years ago. However, there are facts that are sometimes interpreted by individual researchers as signs of modern volcanic activity.

Such “moon holes” are considered traces of lava flows of the past - the lava hardened unevenly, leaving a void underneath. Over time, the dome collapsed, forming a cave.

The relief of the lunar seas and the Ocean of Storms is characterized by the same forms as in the volcanic regions of the Earth. These are lava flows and covers, limiting them with winding ledges, cracks - rillies, volcanic domes. Shafts and ridges are widely developed here, long (10-30 km) and also winding. Their origin is not entirely clear. It is assumed that these may be dykes- igneous rocks frozen in cracks, forming vertical or steeply dipping walls, or projections of the foundation, surrounded by lava.

Radiological determinations show that the age of lunar basalts is measured in the interval of 4-3 billion years.

Volcanoes on Mercury

There is every reason to assume that volcanic rocks are widespread on the surface. Analogues of the lunar seas stand out here, primarily the huge Kaloris depression (Sea of Heat). Its surface is predominantly smooth, but there are curved ledges, reminiscent of the frontal boundaries of lava flows on the Moon.

Unlike the Moon, where the height of the ledges is only tens of meters, on Mercury it reaches 200-500 m. The reason for these differences can be explained by the more viscous composition of Mercury's lavas. It is possible that this is due to the much greater gravity on the surface (more than 2 times) than that of the Moon. The high average density of the planet's rocks gives grounds for assumptions that the sea basins of Mercury may be filled with lavas similar in composition to mantle material.

The Rachmaninoff Basin on Mercury is evidence of the planet's relatively recent volcanism. The flat bottom of this crater was formed from solidified lava.

The age of volcanism on Mercury can be judged by the degree of saturation of its surface with craters. It is assumed that it is close to the time of formation of lunar basalts.

Despite the widespread development of volcanic rocks on the surface of Mercury, volcanic apparatuses of the central type were unknown until recently. Only a thorough analysis of space images made it possible to discover about one and a half dozen objects similar to shield volcanoes and domes. Their heights and diameters are insignificant.

The largest of them is located in the center of the hilly volcanic plain of Odina, located between the Cordillera of the Sultry Mountains (in the west) and the Schiaparelli range (in the east) and has a diameter of 7 km and a height of about 1.5 km.