The World’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes
Counting Down To The Next Big Eruption
Volcanic eruptions are an important process of planet Earth; in fact, without volcanoes, life on Earth would likely cease to exist. Scientists monitor active volcanoes all the time so they can warn the public when one is about to erupt.
Let’s look at the world’s most active volcanoes and see which one might unleash its fury next.
Mount Etna, Sicily
Mount Etna has been erupting periodically through most of recorded history. It’s rare that the eruptions do major damage, but it does happen: the village of Mascali was destroyed in 1928, and the town of Zaffarena was threatened during an eruption in 1993.
Mount Vesuvius, Italy
Vesuvius is best known for its eruption that destroyed and preserved the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The last major eruption of Vesuvius was during WWII when it destroyed several villages.
Vesuvius is especially dangerous because of the number of people living nearby in towns and cities.
Kilauea, Hawaii
On the slopes of Mauna Loa on the main island in the Hawaiian chain, Kilauea has been erupting continuously since 1983, making the island a major focus of tourism and research on volcanoes.
Katmai, Alaska
This 6,700-foot-high peak in Alaska’s Katmai National Park last erupted in 1912 in what was the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. 10 times more powerful than the eruption of Mt St Helens in 1980, the eruption caused acid rain to fall in faraway Vancouver, BC.
