The word “volcano” comes from the Roman ” Vulcano “, god of fire and creator of armor and weapons. Volcanoes are a truly fascinating phenomenon of nature. Broadly speaking, these are openings in the surface of the earth that rise thousands of meters high and make up an imposing landscape. This beauty is a double-edged sword because, just as attractive, volcanoes can be extremely dangerous.
Volcanoes act as conduits that connect the interior and exterior of a planet. But how do they come to be formed?
Within these geological structures, normally located between the boundaries of the Earth’s tectonic plates, we find a characteristic material, magma or fluid molten rock. When an eruption occurs, this material is thrown towards the surface thanks to the accumulation of strong internal pressure. Part of the ejected magma accumulates around the crater through which it has emerged, forming elevations that give rise to a conical mountain called a volcano.
Our planet has about 2,000 volcanoes , both active and inactive, spread throughout the Earth . The countries with the highest concentration are Chile, the United States, Japan and Indonesia. However, beyond our world we can find thousands of more volcanoes throughout the Solar System. This is the case for planets like Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, and Mars. The red planet, in fact, is home to the largest volcano in the Solar System, Mount Olympus (in honor of the Greek mountain), which has more than 600 km of base and more than 27 km high .
Despite scientific and technological advances, volcanoes remain a mystery to humans. Fortunately, today there are materials capable of predicting a catastrophe and thus saving thousands of lives. The current volcanic threat is not extreme, but we are still not totally safe . They live with us immersed in a deep sleep, but if they wake up, the consequences could be catastrophic. In this gallery, we present you a collection of the most threatening volcanoes .
