World map of active volcanoes and plate boundaries
Kīlauea's lava entering the sea
Lava flows at Holuhraun, Iceland, September 2014

An active volcano is a volcano that has erupted during the Holocene (the current geologic epoch of last 10,000 years), is currently erupting, or has the potential to erupt in the future.[1] A volcano that is not currently erupting but could erupt in the future is known as a dormant volcano.[1] Volcanoes that will not erupt again are known as extinct volcanoes. [1]

Overview

There are 1,350 potentially active volcanoes around the world, 500 of which have erupted in historical time.[2] Many active volcanoes are located along the Pacific Rim, also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.[2][3] An estimated 500 million people live near active volcanoes.[3]

Historical time (or recorded history) is another timeframe for active.[4][5] The span of recorded history differs from region to region. In China and the Mediterranean, it reaches back nearly 3,000 years, but in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, it reaches back less than 300 years, and in Hawaii and New Zealand it is only around 200 years.[4] The incomplete Catalogue of the Active Volcanoes of the World, published in parts between 1951 and 1975 by the International Association of Volcanology, uses this definition, by which there are more than 500 active volcanoes.[4][6] As of March 2021, the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program recognizes 560 volcanoes with confirmed historical eruptions.[7]

As of 2013, the following are considered Earth's most active volcanoes:[8]

As of 2010, the longest ongoing (but not necessarily continuous) volcanic eruptive phases are:[9]

Other highly active volcanoes include:

  • Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the largest active volcano in the world. Its summit is more than 4 kilometers above sea level, and 17 kilometers above its base in the sea floor.[10]

By country

Iceland[11]

Italy[12]

Japan

See list of volcanoes in Japan for more information

Hokkaido:

Honshū:

Izu Islands:

Kyūshū:

Ryūkyū Islands:

Mexico[13]

Philippines

United States

Hawaii[14]

Oregon

Washington

California

Costa Rica

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Active, dormant, and extinct: Clarifying confusing classifications | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  2. 1 2 "How many active volcanoes are there on Earth? | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. 1 2 "Volcanoes". European Space Agency. 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Decker, Robert Wayne; Decker, Barbara (1991). Mountains of Fire: The Nature of Volcanoes. Cambridge University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-521-31290-5.
  5. ↑ Tilling, Robert I. (1997). "Volcano environment". Volcanoes. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved August 16, 2012. There are more than 500 active volcanoes (those that have erupted at least once within recorded history) in the world
  6. ↑ DeFelice, B.; Spydell, D.R.; Stoiber, R.E. (14 November 1997). "Catalogs of Active Volcanoes". The Electronic Volcano. Dartmouth College. Archived from the original on 2020-01-19. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Venzke, E., ed. (2013). "How many active volcanoes are there?". Global Volcanism Program Volcanoes of the World (version 4.9.4). Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "The most active volcanoes in the world". VolcanoDiscovery.com. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  9. ↑ Leontiou, A. (2 November 2010). "The World's Five Most Active Volcanoes". livescience.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Where is the largest active volcano in the world? | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
  11. ↑ "Global Volcanism Program | Iceland Volcanoes". Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  12. ↑ "Global Volcanism Program | Italy Volcanoes". Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  13. ↑ "Global Volcanism Program | Mexico Volcanoes". Smithsonian Institution | Global Volcanism Program. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  14. ↑ "Active Volcanoes of Hawaii | U.S. Geological Survey". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-14.

See also

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