 Mount Vesuvius What makes a volcano dangerous? The type of volcano it is, how active it is, and how many people live in the vicinity of its potential eruption. Here are 3 of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world today.
Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius is located in Italy. It is a stratovolcano, which means its a cone-like volcano made of hardened ash and lava. Stratovolcanoes are known for having the most explosive eruptions. Mount Vesuvius has had about 8 major eruptions in the past 17,000 years. The last major eruption was in March of 1944, killing 26 people. However, the most famous Vesuvius eruption occurred in A.D. 79 and killed 30,000 people. Today, 6 million people live in the range of Mount Vesuvius’ deadly eruptions. That means that 6 million people could be in danger next time it has a major eruption. Kilauea Kilauea is located in Hawaii. Unlike Vesuvius, Kilauea is a shield volcano. Shield volcanoes are made up entirely of basalt lava, which is fluid when it erupts. For this reason, shield volcanoes are usually not explosive unless water gets into the vent. Kilauea is currently erupting and has been since 1983. Recent explosive eruptions and newly opened fissures are the biggest danger to residents on the island today. This current volcano eruption has caused thousands of people to evacuate and lots of homes have been destroyed. Scientists say that Kilauea could keep erupting for years and there’s no telling if the eruptions will intensify over time. Volcan De Fuego Volcan de Fuego, a stratovolcano is located in Guatemala. This volcano is very unpredictable because small eruptions occur every 15-20 minutes. But the last major eruption happened on June 3 of 2018. 113 people were killed and 332 people were missing. The most dangerous part of this volcano is the pyroclastic flows that come from the eruption. Pyroclastic flows is a cloud of really hot ash and dust that falls down the slope of a volcano after an eruption. The pyroclastic flow from Volcan De Fuego got up to speeds of 450 mph and temperatures up to 1,300℉. Volcanoes are difficult to predict because of the limited number of subjects (volcanoes) scientists are able to study. Now that you know about 3 of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. Which volcano do you think is the biggest threat to people today? Story by Tate Lloyd |
