24 Awesome Photos of the World’s Volcanoes
Volcanoes are among the most powerful and destructive natural phenomena. But for all their devastating power, volcanoes do not only constantly shape the face of our planet, their majesty also inspire the human soul and imagination.
The word “volcano” itself traces its origin from the name of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. All around the world, many other cultures have similar myths and legends that attribute volcanic tumults to the activities of tempestuous deities of creation and destruction. This association with the divine is a testament to the kind of and awe respect that volcanoes inspire in people.
Today, volcanoes still never fail to move us. Just let these spectacular images of from all over the world speak for themselves.
An incandescent lava flow winds its way downslope from the mouth of Mayon Volcano, an active stratovolcano located in the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The volcano, which has erupted 49 times since 1616, is famous for having the most perfectly symmetrical cone among all of the world’s volcanoes. Mayon was named after Daragang Magayon, a legendary heroine in the local folklore whose name means “beautiful lady.” (Photo: International Rice Research Institute)
Snow Queen’s realm
Another stratovolcano with an almost perfectly symmetrical cone is the 3,528-metre-tall Kronotsky Volcano (centremost), seen alongside several other volcanoes in this satellite image of Russian Federation’s Kamchatka Peninsula in winter. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes have steeper slopes and more explosive eruptions. (Photo: NASA)
Volcano island
This stunning image is a photograph of the summit of Haleakalā, an enormous shield volcano that forms three quarters of the island of Maui in Hawaii. The dormant volcano is the site of Science City, an astrophysical research complex operated by the University of Hawaii, the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States government. (Photo: Andy Simonds)
Into the deep
Pictured is one of the several craters of Lassen Peak, an active volcano in Northern California. It is the only volcano in continental United States, aside from Mount St. Helens in Washington, to erupt in the 20th century. (Photo: rickz)
Three mountains
Indonesia’s Mount Bromo emits smoke in this photograph taken in 2007 from a viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan. Located in East Java, the active volcano sits in the middle of a plain called the Sea of Sand, seen above enveloped in a thick cover of fog. The silhouette of Mount Semeru is seen in the background. (Photo: Michael Zimmel)
The Dark Lord arises
This dramatic depiction of the union of fire and ice was captured by researcher, Dr. Marco Fulle, during the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull glacier’s volcano, whose billowing columns of dust grounded flights across Europe and the Atlantic in April 2010. The volcano first erupted on March 20, with a second eruption on April 14. Although not unusually powerful, the second eruption was about 10 times stronger than the first one. It melted a substantial amount of glacial ice, which then cooled the lava and shattered it into tiny particles. When such dust particles from volcanic plume rub against one another, they build up static charge that could create spectacular lightning shows like the one seen above. It’s elemental majesty at its best. (Photo: Dr. Marco Fulle)
Thanks for the kind words, guys!
Maybe we will get a few good pictures of the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica for you?
Totally Agree Taylor. I love this. This is why we created the UT in the first place!
This is definitely one of the most stunning and extensive posts Urban Times has ever published! 24 Awesome Volcanoes. 24 thumbs up. Keep 'em coming Gregory!
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