Volcanoes are some of the most awe-inspiring geographical features on earth. Not only can they be considered unique, a result of forces of nature that are still not completely understood, they are also a testament to the tremendous power of the earth itself. In this blog post, we will explore some of the facts about volcanoes.

Volcanoes: The Facts

• There are around 1,500 active volcanoes on land, and more than 500 of them are located in the “Ring of Fire” around the Pacific Ocean.

• The longest volcanic eruption in recorded history is the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy, which began in 79 A.D. and lasted for four years.

• The deepest known volcano is the Kavachi volcano in the Solomon Islands, which is located over 19,000 feet below sea level.

• The highest volcano in the world is the Ojos del Salado in the Andes Mountains, which stands at a height of 22,615 feet.

• The largest volcano in the world is Mauna Loa in Hawaii, which covers an area of 2,000 square miles.

• The largest caldera/super volcano is Lake Toba in Sumatra, measuring 6 miles wide and 124 miles long and reaching a depth of 1,600 feet.

• The eruption that formed it was the largest volcanic eruption in the last 25 million years.

• The most violent volcanic eruption of the last 10,000 years was the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. It was the loudest sound ever heard in modern times and was heard 4,800 miles away.

• Eight of the Earth’s ten tallest mountains are volcanic in origin.

• The largest volcano in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars. It is about three times the height of Mount Everest.

• The world’s most active volcano is Kilauea in Hawaii, which has been erupting continuously since 1983.

• The oldest known active volcano is Etna in Italy, which has been erupting for over 500,000 years.

• The most explosive volcano on Earth is Mount St. Helens in Washington, which had the most powerful eruption in recorded history in 1980.

• The most destructive volcanic eruption in history was the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, which killed around 92,000 people.

• The largest lava flow in recorded history was created by the eruption of Mauna Loa in Hawaii in 1859. The lava flow covered 2,000 square miles.