These volcanoes are on the verge of erupting all over the world

Volcanoes are one of those natural phenomena that are very fascinating on the one hand, but also quite dangerous on the other. There are currently warnings in Europe about an eruption of the supervolcano Campi Flegrei – and numerous earthquakes in Iceland also indicate an impending eruption.

There are approximately 1,500 volcanoes worldwide that have erupted at least once in the last 10,000 years. And they can break out again at any moment. Watson’s interactive map shows which volcanoes are currently very active, which are only moderately active, and which are only experiencing volcanic unrest but not an eruption:

Watson took a closer look at some of these volcanoes, especially those classified as particularly dangerous and active:

The Stromboli volcano on the Italian island of the same name north of Sicily is constantly active. At irregular intervals (a few minutes to an hour) there are larger or smaller eruptions from different crater openings. In most cases, the ejected material falls back into the crater or rolls over the Sciara del Fuoco into the sea, without causing further damage.

However, there have also been eruptions of Stromboli that have ended fatally for some residents of the island. The last major eruption claimed a human life in 2019.

Popocatépetl is a volcano near Mexico City, only about 60 kilometers apart. It is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the country and has been regularly active again since 1994 after years of dormancy.

Climbing the volcano has actually been banned since it became active again. Yet there are always daring mountain climbers who want to climb the volcano – but that does not always end well. Last year, a woman was killed by a hot rock when the hiking group was surprised by material ejected from the volcano.

The Erta Alé volcano is located in northeastern Ethiopia, above the bottom of a dry sea. In the Erta Alés basin there is an active lava lake: a phenomenon that only occurs in a few volcanoes. In 2017 there was so much lava that the lake overflowed. The lake froze from late October 2020 to late 2021, after which activity returned.

Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. There is also a lava lake in this volcano. The Nyiragongo is located about 20 kilometers north of the megacity of Goma, which is therefore particularly threatened by volcanic eruptions.

In 2002 there was a major eruption that destroyed several villages. Goma was also affected. A total of 147 people were killed and approximately 500,000 people were evacuated. Many of them remained homeless for a long time.

Nearly twenty years later, in May 2021, another eruption occurred that killed 32 people. In addition, the lava flow caused panic in Goma and a mass exodus from the city.

Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world. Merapi, a volcano on the Indonesian island of Java, is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. At the same time, it is of particular importance for the islanders: to appease the ancient spirits of Java, sacrifices are made to the volcano every year. The Javanese people believe that there is an invisible kingdom on Merapi, whose king protects the people around the volcano. They are therefore confident that the outbreaks will not occur in the direction of the major city of Yogyakarta, as has been the case in recent decades.

The volcano erupts again and again - most recently this year on March 11, 2023. Larger eruptions occur every ten to fifteen years. Typically, hot ash clouds are emitted that can reach a temperature of more than 700 degrees Celsius. Areas have to be evacuated again and again.

The Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua is also still active and erupts at irregular intervals. In the pre-Columbian era, the Masaya was worshiped by the population and its eruptions were seen as signs of angry gods. For this reason, human sacrifices took place again and again. Usually they were small children or virgins who were thrown into the volcanic crater, where they were burned alive.

The Erebus volcano in Antarctica is the southernmost active volcano in the world and has been continuously active for decades. Erebus is located on the volcanic island of Ross Island in the Southern Ocean with four volcanoes - but it is the only one still active. It also has a permanent lava lake, something that is difficult to imagine in Antarctica.

On November 28, 1979, a tragedy occurred on Erebus: a plane crash occurred, the cause of which is still disputed. To this day it is unclear whether the main responsibility lay with the captain or with the airline, which allegedly gave the captain false information - in any case the minimum flight altitude was exceeded. Of the 257 people on board, none survived the crash. The aircraft was completely destroyed.

Japan's Sakurajima Volcano is located on a peninsula in Kagoshima Bay. About 500,000 people live in the city of the same name, about eight kilometers away. The daily lives of these people are determined by the rhythm of the active volcano, which spews out ash clouds several times a day. Because it also rains above the city depending on the wind direction, the residents of Kagoshima often walk around with dust masks and safety goggles. At school, children learn emergency measures if a major outbreak occurs.

A special feature of the Sakurajima volcano are the so-called dirty thunderstorms, which can be observed frequently. During an eruption, electrical voltages build up due to the friction of ash particles, which are then discharged in lightning bolts.

There is only one supervolcano in Europe: the Phlegraean Fields (Campi Flegrei) near Naples. Supervolcanoes have a particularly large magma chamber – a cavity in the Earth's crust where magma accumulates – beneath the volcanic area.

The last time the supervolcano erupted was in 1538. However, in recent years there have been repeated unrests at the volcano, which were reflected in tens of thousands of small earthquakes. According to a new study from Italy's National Research Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), an eruption is becoming increasingly likely as the Campi Flegrei have become weaker and more prone to rupture over time.