World Famous Volcanoes

Volcanoes are like notorious criminals who gain fame because of the severe damage that they do every time they erupt. Volcanoes can be anywhere in the world, on land, under water and even under snow. They are vents through which the molten magma erupts onto the earth surface due to the overwhelming pressure and gas pressure, which is often lighter than the surrounding which, is the reason it tries to rise up thus resulting in an enormous amount of pressure being generated and a resultant eruption. The lava that flows out of the crevices or the vent makes volcanoes a damaging nature's fury. This is because the temperature of lava is so high that it can immediately burn anything that comes in contact with it. In this Buzzle article, we shall discuss some of the world-famous volcanoes.

Famous Volcanoes of the World
Studies show, there are about 60 active volcanoes around the world every year. Most of these are under the ocean and their eruptions go unobserved. Indonesia, Japan and Untied States are some of the countries, that have recorded the most number of volcano eruptions in the history. Volcanoes are usually set around some of the most beautiful places on earth. These silent giants of fury, lie around scenic surroundings and have the potential to become one of the most powerful and damaging volcanoes. Let us have a look at some of these powerful and volcanic eruptions around the world.

Mount Vesuvius, Italy
This volcano buried about 3,360 Romans and the entire city of Pompeii under its ashes in 79 A.D. What makes Mount Vesuvius one of the most famous volcanoes of the world, is that the ash preserved the remains of entire city of Pompeii and its inhabitants as well as their pets as it is. History shows, Mount Vesuvius has erupted about 36 times. However this volcano is no more active now, it is an extinct volcano now, though it might become active anytime. When it was actually active, it never spewed any liquid lava, only ash and volcanic bombs that caused most of the destruction.

Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
This is one of the most famous volcano in Hawaii. It lies in the southeast part of the Hawaii and major portion of the volcano remains under water. This volcano overlaps on the Mauna Loa shield of the volcano and is considered to be the most famous active volcano in the past. There are various legends that are associated with this volcano and its eruptions. The crater that can be seen at present was actually formed in the year 1790 and it comprises a pit called Halemaumau. There are layers of lava on the craters that are somewhere around 1000 years old. The present eruption of this volcano began in 1983 and continues to flow down the slopes anytime of the year. The present eruption has already destroyed more than 200 houses and has covered approximately 100 square kilometer of land. So, if you wish to see an active volcano in action, Kilauea is the place to visit.

Llullaillaco, Argentina, Chile
This is one of the world's highest active volcanoes and it is located in the Atacama Desert, which is one of the most driest place on earth. There is a loot of debris around the volcano and is covered with snow most of the time. There are avalanche deposits which are related to the southern flows of the Lava from the volcano. There are no activities, which can be observed now in this volcano. This volcano last erupted in 1877. The Llullaillaco is also famous for the 500-year-old mummies found on it in 1999. These mummies were preserved very well due to the cold, arid and hypoxic environment on the mountain.

Mount Saint Helens Volcano, Washington
This volcano erupted in 1980 and wreaked havoc on the people, worst one in the history of United States. It erupted for the first time approximately 120 years back. The eruption on May 18, 1980 was as strong as the explosion of about 30,000 nuclear bombs. The eruption showed 5.1 on the Richter scale, which lead to the collapse of the north side of the mountain and resulted into a lot of avalanche debris. The eruption lasted for about nine years and it burnt down around 230 square miles of forest area. This eruption took 57 lives in spite of prior warnings. The eruption changed the landscape surrounding the mountain.

Mount Fuji, Japan
One of the most famous volcanoes of the world is Mount Fuji. It is buried Tokyo in ash when it last erupted in 1707. This mountain stands about 12,000 feet high and therefore covered with clouds most of the time. It has been made into a tourist spot and you can visit it only during July and August.

Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia
Located in the Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Park, this volcano is known for its breathtaking peak. This is one of the active volcanoes, that last erupted in December 2000. Mount Bromo is one of the two volcanoes that were formed after an massive eruption. The other mountain is the non-active Mount Batok. This volcano is always bubbling and the edges seeped in sulfur.

Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland
Having a tongue-twister for a name, this volcano is one of the small ice caps around Iceland. Eyjafjallajökull means 'Island mountain glacier' in Icelandic. This is one of the most famous active volcanoes in the world, as it has recently erupted in 2010. It gave rise to a mammoth ash cloud that caused a virtual shut down of airports around Europe. Its latest eruptions caused the airline industry a loss of about USD 1 billion.

These are some of the world famous volcanoes that have created havoc, when they were active. Most of these volcanoes lie dormant today. But, you never know, when they wake up from their never-ending slumber and release their lava of death and destruction. Till, then we can only hope they stay in their slumber peacefully.