A volcano is a mountain where hot gases and magma break through the Earths surface. This process is called a volcanic eruption. Volcanoes have been important features of the Earths crust for millions of years. They were probably the first landforms of the newly formed Earth. Like all landforms, volcanoes are constantly being formed and the older ones are being destroyed.

Mount Erebus is located on the western half of Ross Island in Antarctica. Summit elevation 3794 m. Mount Erebus is the world's southernmost historically active volcano. Mt Erebus was discovered in 1841 by Sir James Clark Ross. In 1979 an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed into Mt Erebus, killing all on board. Erebus plays an important role in the chemistry of Antarctic atmosphere. The volcano contains a stable near-summit magma reservoir.

Mauna Loa is the worlds largest shield volcano. It is a massive shield volcano constructed by countless lava flows. Since 1832 Mauna Loa has erupted 39 times. It’s last eruption was in 1984.

The 300m high volcano has grown from the remnants of Krakatau, which blew itself apart when it exploded in 1883 and killed 36,000 people the most ever killed during an eruption. The 1883 explosion was so powerful it released 13,000 times the energy of Little Boy the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.

Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth and has been erupting almost continuously since It has been active for much of the last 2,000 years. It is so active that it earned the nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. It is among the world's most visited volcanoes.

The world’s smallest volcano is the Taal Volcano in the Philippines. The volcano is a 406-meter high crater. At one time, it was larger but collapsed and the lake formed around what was left of the volcano. This volcano may also be one of the most active volcanoes around today since it has erupted over 33 times since 1572.

Many people who've heard of Pompeii don't realize there were actually two cities that were destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius: Pompeii and Herculaneum. Both were completely covered by volcanic ash when Vesuvius belched volcanic ash and hot mud. Both cities were forgotten until they were found again in the 1700s. Over time the cities became completely buried. There are still many many areas yet to be uncovered.

Mt. Etna is the largest volcano and most active in Europe. It is located on the NE coast of the island of Sicily in ITALY. Etna’s eruptions have been documented since 1500 BC. The volcano has experienced more than 200 eruptions since then. Etna’s most powerful recorded eruption was in Etna’s longest eruption began in 1979 and went on for 13 years. It’s latest eruption began in March 2007, and is still ongoing.

Mt Helens was shaken by an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale on 20 March 1980 awakening from its 123-year sleep. The catastrophic eruption was on 18 May Ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.

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