For some, holidaying near an active volcano may be a thrill-seeking adventure, while for others it may seem like a nightmare. Yet, many of the most popular holiday destinations among British tourists are home to the most active volcanoes in the world.
Italy is the only country in mainland Europe with active volcanoes. This volcanic activity is due chiefly to the presence of the boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.
The most famous volcanoes are Vesuvius near Naples and Etna on the Sicilian island. Due to their positions within densely populated areas and eruption history, both have been included in the “Decade Volcanoes” list by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior, detailing the volcanoes to be kept under close surveillance. Two other Italian volcanoes are active, Stromboli and Vulcano, which last erupted from 1888 to 1890. There are also at least 10 dormant volcanoes.
There are many different types of volcanoes. Calderas, like Mount Vesuvius, consist of a large, cauldron-like hollow that forms after the emptying of a magma chamber during an eruption. Etna is a composite volcano, also called stratovolcano, a conical volcano built up of many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. It is characterised by a steep profile with a summit crater and period intervals of either explosive (violent with gas) or effusive (steadily flowing lava) eruptions.
Etna erupted as recently as July 4 this year, causing Catania Airport to close due to the extent of volcanic ash in the air. It reopened the next day. Vesuvius is most famous for its eruption in 79AD which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is the only volcano on Europe’s mainland to have erupted in the last century, in March 1944.
The geology of the Canary Islands is dominated by volcanic rock and is an example of intraplate volcanism, being located far, over 370 miles, from the edges of the African Plate. The most recent eruption dates back to the Cumbre Vieja’s activity on the island of La Palma in 2021.
Greece is also home to several volcanoes. While most are extinct, the most important active ones are situated in Santorini, Nisyros, Methana and Milos island.
The volcano on Santorini is the most famous. It has the largest caldera in the world, with a height of 984 feet and a diameter of 6.8 miles. It too has been designated a “Decade Volcano”. The peninsula of Methana has 32 volcanoes, with the last eruption occurring in 1700. It is also home to famous thermal springs.
The geography of Indonesia, another extremely popular tourist destination, is dominated by volcanoes due to subduction zones – where one tectonic plate converges with a second – between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plates. Volcanoes in this area are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt of both volcanoes and earthquakes, which extends down the west coast of the Americas.
Some of its volcanoes are notable for their eruptions, including Krakatoa and the Lake Toba Caldera for its supervolcanic eruption estimated to have occurred 74,000 years ago and being responsible for a six-year global winter.
Finally, a tourist destination which beckons those who love volcanoes, Iceland is home to 32 active volcanoes, with Katla being among those watched most closely. On average, a volcano erupts in the region every five years, however since 2021 the frequency has been closer to every 12 months. The eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in April 2010 caused extreme disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over a period of six days, with 20 countries closing their airspace and affecting around 10 million travellers.
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