Important Volcanoes of the World

Geography is having a greater percentage of questions in the general awareness section of government exams like SSC, Railways, State PSCs, etc. In this section one of the important topics from geography i.e “Important Volcanoes of the World” , we are going to discuss. Many questions has been asked in the previous years from this sect and there is a greater possibility of coming of questions from this section in the upcoming exams.

Volcanoes: An Introduction

• Volcanoes are openings in the earth’s crust that allow molten rock, gas, and debris to come out to the surface. The gases present in volcanoes are sulfur compounds, nitrogen compounds, and traces of argon, hydrogen, and chlorine. 
• The phenomenon of molten lava coming out from the interior of the earth is called volcanism.
• Vents are fissures in the earth’s surface caused by eruptions of lava, pyroclastic gases, and volcanic gases. Thermal convection combined with the gravitational effects of changes in the Earth’s surface cause lava movement within the Earth’s mantle. Volcanoes exist on the rims between the tectonic plates, the massive bedrocks that form the Earth’s surface. 90% of the volcanoes are present within the Ring of Fire at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Factors responsible for Volcanism:

1. Plate Tectonics
2. Ocean floor spreading
3. Weak Earth Surface
4. Faults
5. Magma crystallization
6. A decrease in external pressure

Types of Volcanoes: 

Volcanoes are classified according to the type of eruption and the shape of the surface.

1. Shield volcano

• These volcanoes are the largest of all non-steep volcanoes on Earth.
  
• The main constituent of these types of volcanoes is basalt 
  
• It explodes if water somehow gets into the vents, but is otherwise characterized by low explosiveness.
  
• The upwardly moving lava does so in the form of a fountain, exiting the cone at the top of the vent and developing into a cinder cone. 
  
• Example: Hawaii’s shield volcanoes
  

2. Compound volcano

• Compound volcanoes are characterized by lava eruptions that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
  
• They consist of numerous explosive eruptions.
  
• A large amount of pyroclastic material and volcanic ash falls on the ground along with lava. This material collects near vents and causes stratification.
  
• The Mayon volcano in the Philippines, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Mount Rainier in Washington are the largest compound volcanoes in the world. The largest complex volcanic chain is the Pacific Rim, known as the “Fire Rim”.
  

3. Caldera

• Calderas are known to be the most explosive volcanoes on Earth.
  
• They are generally explosive.
  
• When erupted, they tend to collapse on their own rather than building structures.
  
• Collapsed depressions are known as calderas. 
  

4. Flood Basalt State

• Flood Basalt Province’s volcanoes spew highly flowing lava that flows over long distances.
  
• Many parts of the world are covered by thick basaltic lava flows.
  

5. Mid-oceanic ridge volcanoes

• These volcanoes are located in oceanic regions.
  
• There is a system of mid-ocean ridges that stretch for 70000 km across the ocean basin.
  
• The central part of this ridge is a frequently torn lava dome. Such volcanoes are called lava domes when the erupted lava is too thick to flow, and the lava piles up near the crater to form steep-sided hills.
  
• They are formed by slow eruptions of highly viscous lava.
  
• Sometimes they also form in craters from previous volcanic eruptions.

Important Volcanoes of the World:

Name of the Volcano	Location
Mauna Loa	Hawaii
Piton des Neiges	Reunion, France
Ojos del Salado	Argentina-Chile
Llullaillaco	Argentina-Chile
Nevado Sajama	Bolivia
Chimborazo	Ecuador
Cotopaxi	Ecuador
Kilimanjaro	Tanzania
Cayambe	Ecuador
Mount Elbrus	Russia
Pico de Orizaba	Mexico
Mount Damavand	Iran
Popocatépetl	Mexico
Iztaccihuatl	Mexico
Mount Kenya	Kenya
Mount Ararat	Turkey/Armenia
Mount Kazbek	Georgia
Mount Bona	Alaska
Klyuchevskaya Sopka	Russia
Mount Karisimbi	Rwanda/Democratic Republic of Congo
Mount Rainier	Washington, United States
Mount Giluwe	Papua New Guinea
Volcán Tajumulco	Guatemala
Mauna Kea	Hawaii, United States
Mount Sidley	Antarctica
Mount Cameroon	Cameroon
Mount Aragats	Armenia
Mount Kerinci	Sumatra, Indonesia
Mount Fuji	Honshū, Japan
Mount Rinjani	Lombok, Indonesia
Mount Teide	Canary Islands, Spain
Semeru	Java, Indonesia
Emi Koussi	Chad
Mount Etna	Sicily, Italy
Haleakalā Maui	Hawaii
Mount Agung	Bali, Indonesia
Pico Basilé	Equatorial Guinea
Mount Zuqualla	Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Mount Apo	Mindanao, Philippines
Mount Shishaldin	Unimak Island, Alaska
Mount Ruapehu	North Island, New Zealand
Mawson Peak	Heard Island, Australia
Pali-Aike volcanic field	Azores, Portugal
Mount Pico	Argentina–Chile
Beerenberg Jan Mayen	Norway
Taal Volcano	Batangas, Philippines