According to your activity, when we say active volcano we refer to a volcano that is erupting or that is capable of entering a phase of uninterrupted activity at any time. Currently, although it is estimated that there are almost 2.000 on Earth, there are few volcanoes of these characteristics that record periods of continuous activity.
Below you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with in this article.
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Kilauea
Kilauea (Hawaii) is considered the volcano with the highest level of activity on the entire island of Hawaii, while being one of the most active on Earth. In Hawaiian, the approximate meaning of the word Kilauea es spitting, due to its strong lava flows.
Although it is estimated that it came to the surface of the water approximately 100.000 years, everything indicates that it may be between 300.000 and 600.000 years old.
The last period of eruptive activity began in 1983 and lasted until the beginning of 2011, this being the longest interval in the eruptive history of this volcano. The following video shows a spectacular time-lapse of the Kilauea volcano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9-EtEDGrds
Piton de la Fournaise
Along with the Kilauea, this volcano belonging to the island of La Reunion (Indian Ocean) is another of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Located in the Reunion National Park (Reunion National Park in English), constitutes one of the major tourist attractions of the island. Here is a video showing an eruption of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano:
Since 2006, continuous periods of activity have been recorded in 2007, 2008 and 2010; its last eruption began in June 2014. The long lava flows that this volcano emits usually reach the sea.
Etna
The Etna volcano, located on the east coast of Sicily (Italy), also called Mount Etna, with its 3,329 m high, it is considered the highest active volcano in Europe.
In June 2013, UNESCO conferred the title of Heritage and it has also been included within the 16 Volcanoes of the Decade by the United Nations. In the following video you can see images of the eruption that took place in 2014:
Etna's eruptive history dates back 500.000 years and to this day it remains dormant. In addition, it constitutes one of the main sources of research in the science of volcanology, geophysics and other subjects related to the field of Earth Sciences.
It is not considered a particularly dangerous volcano and, in fact, thousands of people live in the surroundings. In addition, the volcanic soil makes the terrain of this area very fertile for extensive agriculture, so you can find numerous vineyards and orchards along the slopes of the mountain.
Mount Saint Helena
Mount Santa Helena (in English, Mount St Helens) is the name given to the stratovolcano found in Skamania County, Washington state. The indigenous people of the Klickitat tribe called it Louwala Clough, which meant something like Fire Mountain.
Although it is still active today and its last eruption occurred on July 10, 2008, it is best known for the catastrophic eruption that took place in May 1980, one of the deadliest in the history of the United States.
Given his membership in the Waterfall Range, the volcano has the same characteristics as other volcanoes in the area: its formation is a large rubble cone whose main components are: lava stone, pumice stone, layers of basalt, andesite and volcanic ash.
Volcanic Belt of the Andes
The Volcanic Belt of the Andes encompasses an entire volcanic province within the region called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is discussed below. It is located in the Andes mountain range and covers Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador.
It's divided in four zones: the north volcanic zone (ZVN), the central volcanic zone (ZVC), the south volcanic zone (ZVS) and the southern volcanic zone (ZVA). The following sections show which are the most important active volcanoes of the Andean volcanic belt.
flame
The Llaima volcano is located in the Region of La Araucanía, in Chile. It belongs to the southern volcanic zone (ZVS) of the Andes Volcanic Belt. Is a stratovolcano whose altitude exceeds 3.000 m.
Since it is located just 72 km from Temuco, the top of the volcano can be observed from anywhere in the city. The etymology of the term call me comes from the Mapuche language and means ditch o drain in relation to the crack that appeared near the crater after the 1873 eruption.
Like many other volcanoes, it is part of a national park, in this case the Conguillío National Park, of which its araucaria forests stand out.
The resulting landscape makes this national park an important tourist destination within Chile. In addition, it has the ski center The Araucarias.
Between 2008 and 2009, incessant volcanic activity took place after the first eruption on January 1, 2008, after which up to 140 tourists and several officials from the Conguillío National Park were evacuated.
The fumaroles could be seen up to 250 km away and the ashes reached the province of Neuquén, in Argentina. In 2009, the eruption very calmer, but still unstable.
Villarrica
The Villarrica volcano is located in Chile, specifically in the area of the southern Andes, between the provinces of Cautín and Valdivia.
This stratovolcano is considered one of the most volcanic activity in all of South America. With an altitude that exceeds 2.450 m, its conical shape is one of the most perfect among all the volcanoes in the world.
When it is not in a period of activity, the volcano is covered by a glacier, so that the views from its top are always white.
In addition, the area of the volcano and its surroundings make up the protected area called Villarrica National Park. The last eruption was registered in March 2015 and has required the evacuation of almost 4.000 people affected from the surrounding towns.
Calbuco
This active stratovolcano is located southeast of Lake Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos region, in southern Chile. The volcano as a whole is a composition made from andesite. Be part of the Llanquihue National Reserve.
After 43 years of inactivity since volcanic activity was recorded in 1972, in April 2015 the volcano became active again. The following video shows a time-lapse of the last eruption of this volcano:
Central American Volcanic Arc
The Volcanic Arc of Central America encompasses a chain of volcanoes that extends from the Pacific coast to the border region of Costa Rica and southern Panama, passing through El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. In total, the volcanic arc has an extension of 1500 km.
Quezaltepeque or San Salvador volcano
At present, it is estimated that there are up to twenty-three volcanoes in El Salvador, although only a few are considered active. The country's volcanic mountain range is located within the so-called Central American Volcanic Arc, whose extension reaches 1.500 km. The main ones are listed below.
This volcano includes two peaks, called The Picacho y The boar. Its crater is also called The Boquerón, whose diameter reaches 1.500m and is located 1.800m high; Its interior area has come to be considered a National Park and is known as El Boquerón National Park.
Ilamatepec or Santa Ana volcano
The Santa Ana volcano is located in the Department of Santa Ana (El Salvador) and is part of the Apaneca mountain range, within a tropical cloud-mountainous forest. With its 2.381 meters above sea level, it is the highest volcano in the country.
The last eruptions took place in 1920, 1904 and 2005. The 2005 eruption It was produced after a large explosion in which the volcano expelled ash and rocks. In the following video you can see what the Santa Ana volcano and its surroundings are like:
Chinchontepec or San Vicente volcano
Located more than sixty kilometers from San Salvador, this volcano is especially known because at its base it has hot springs that are recognized as the little hell.
Chaparrastique or San Miguel volcano
Located in the municipality of San Miguel, this volcano registered its first activity in 1510 and the last in January 2002. Among the many volcanoes in the country, its cone is considered the best formed of all. Its last two significant periods of activity were in 2013 and February 2014.
Pacific Ring of Fire
This volcanic group, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Asian part of Russia, forms the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. Since 1996, this group of volcanoes has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The following sections list the main volcanoes in this region.
Shiveluch
Also called Sheveluch o Sopka shiveluch, is located in the north of Kamchatka. This volcano has a fissure that exceeds thirty meters and its last eruption occurred in August 2011.
karymsky
Considered the most active in eastern Kamchatka, it is a symmetrical stratovolcano built within a 5 km wide caldera.
Bezymianny
It is also called Mount Bezymianny. It was considered extinct until 1955, when its largest eruption was recorded, which lasted until 1956, disintegrating 200m from the summit.
Island of El Hierro
The island of El Hierro, in the Canary Islands (Spain), became the center of attention in 2011, due to the volcanic eruption that began in its active underwater volcano, which caused a series of earthquakes and expelled magmatic material. It is one of the few active volcanoes in Spain.
The most intense earthquake was registered in October of that same year. The persistence of a degassing process causes the continuous deterioration of the underwater ecosystem. The following video explains how the eruption of the submarine volcano in 2011 occurred and what consequences it brought:
Barcena
The Bárcena volcano is one of the ten active volcanoes in Mexico nowadays. Located in the Archipelago of Revillagigedo (350 km south of Baja California Sur), the last eruption of this Mexican volcano took place between 1952 and 1953.
The Bárcena volcano is the main tourist attraction of the San Benedicto island, where you can find several lava domes in the extreme north, while the Bárcena is located in the extreme south of the island.
The last eruption began at 7:45 a.m. on August 1, 1952 with the sudden emission of a white fumarole that, minutes later, turned dark gray almost black. This is how the volcano began to eject volcanic bombs in an eruption described by many as violent.
sakurajima
The Sakurajima volcano is located in Japan, specifically on the island of Kyūshū (Kagoshima prefecture). Before the great eruption of 1914, this volcano was an island, but the enormous amount of lava it expelled this time solidified, causing it to join the Ōsumi peninsula.
Since 1955, Sakurajima continues to be one of the most active volcanoes on Earth today. In fact, the large amount of magma that accumulates its interior at present makes one suspect that a new eruption will arrive in an approximate period of 25 years, according to a team of researchers from several international universities.
The volcano forms a mountain that is divided into three peaks: the Pico del Norte, the Pico Central and the Pico del Sur. It is the latter that is currently active, although the highest is in the North, with a height of 1.117 m above sea level.
Despite being considered a dangerous area, the Sakurajima, located within the Kirishima-Yaku National ParkIt is one of the most touristic areas in the area. There you can find all kinds of resources: from hot springs to hydrotherapy.
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