PRINCIPAL ACTIVE VOLCANOES |
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| Name and Location | Height in | |
| metres | feet | |
| Cotopaxi, Ecuador | 5,896 | 19,344 |
| Kluchevskaya, Russia | 4,750 | 15,584 |
| Mount Wrangell, Alaska | 4,270 | 14,000 |
| Mauna Loa, Hawaii | 4,170 | 13,680 |
| Cameroon, Cameroon | 4,070 | 13,350 |
| Erebus, Antarctica | 3,720 | 12,200 |
| Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo | 3,520 | 11,560 |
| Iliamna, Aleutian Range, USA | 3,350 | 11,000 |
| Etna, Sicily | 3,340 | 10,958 |
| Baker, Cascade Range, USA | 3,285 | 10,778 |
| Chillan, Chile | 3,200 | 10,500 |
| Nyamuragira, Democratic Republic of Congo | 3,090 | 10,150 |
| Villarica, Chile | 2,842 | 9,325 |
| Ruapehu, New Zealand | 2,797 | 9,175 |
| Paricutin, Mexico | 2,770 | 9,100 |
| Asama, Japan | 2,540 | 8,340 |
| Mount St Helens, USA | 2,350 | 8,300 |
| Ngauruhoe, New Zealand | 2,291 | 7,515 |
| Hecla, Iceland | 1,491 | 4,892 |
| Vesuvius, Italy | 1,277 | 4,190 |
| Kilauea, Hawaii | 1,247 | 4,090 |
| Stromboli, Italy | 925 | 3,034 |
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Volcanoes are vents through which magma reaches the surface as lava flows, or as the solid products, e.g. ashes and bombs of explosive eruption. The vent may be cylindrical or it may be a long fissure. The former type usually builds up cones, e.g. Vesuvius. Notable active volcanoes are Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli in Italy; Soufrière on Montserrat; and Mont Pelée on Martinique. The last named was in violent eruption in 1902 when the chief town of St Pierre was completely destroyed. Volcanic eruptions are sometimes linked with brilliant sunset phenomena, e.g. the Indonesian island of Krakatoa (1883), whose atmospheric and tidal effects were recorded all over the world, and Agung on the island of Bali (1963), which had been dormant for 120 years. In 1991, the eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines killed 300 people, while in 1997 much of Montserrat was threatened by the Soufrière eruption. The huge eruption of Tambora (Indonesia) in 1815 killed an estimated 90,000 people. Many scientists now believe that the world is overdue a major volcanic eruption. There are volcanoes on Mars far higher than any on Earth.
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