We present a list of the TOP 10 largest volcanoes in the world! The prepared ranking is based on the height of volcanoes measured from sea level to the summit. At the end of the list, as a curiosity, we present three volcanoes, which also deserve the name "naj". See why!
To start with, a mini glossary:
Stratovolcano - a volcano with a characteristic large slope angle, formed by sticky and slowly flowing lava.
Circular volcano - a type of volcano with a wide and flattened cone with an angle of inclination of not more than 8 °. Its characteristic feature is the lack of violent eruptions. Extremely rare and very hot lava comes out of its interior.
Tefrochronology - dating method in which the age of sediments is determined on the basis of the identification of layers of volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions of known chronology.
Place 10. Ata - 6501 m above sea level
The lowest of the volcanoes in the top ten is the Ata volcano. The lowest in this case definitely does not mean "low". Ata measures 6501 meters in height. It is located on the Argentinean-Chilean border in the Andes.
Place 9. Sajama - 6542 m above sea level
Sajama is a volcanic peak located in the Andes in Bolivia. It rises to a height of 6542 m above sea level and is also called Nevado (Snow-Covered) Sajama. It is counted among extinct stratovolcanoes. His summit was first won by Piero Ghiglione and Joseph Prema in 1939. The mountain is located in the Sajama National Park, about 20 km from the Chilean border and about 290 km from the capital of Bolivia, the city of La Paz. In August 2001, two teams - composed of Sajama villagers and Bolivian mountain guides - played a football match at the top of Sajama to show that "height" is not a limitation on the possibility of taking physical effort. The aim of the initiative was to protest against the decision of FIFA to stop playing international matches in La Paz due to the city's location at a significant height relative to the sea level.
Place 8. Tupungato - 6570 m above sea level
Tupungato volcano - occupying the eighth position of Top 10 - is another stratovolcano on the border between Chile and Argentina. On August 2, 1947, Avro Lancastrian "Star Dust", owned by the British airline British South Airways, crashed on the Tupungato glacier. There were 11 passengers on board. The plane - covered by an avalanche and dense snowfall - lay in hiding for over 50 years. In 1998, the wreck of the engine was discovered by a pair of Argentine mountaineers, and the US Army expedition in 2000 found a plane wreck on a declining glacier.
Place 7. Incahuasi - 6621 m above sea level
He is also known as "Nevado de Incahuasi". This stratovolcano lies on the Argentinean-Chilean border near the highest volcano of the Earth - Ojos del Salado. The date of Incahuasi's last eruption is unknown. The first entry to the summit was made by the German geographer Walther Penck in 1913.
Place 6. Nevado Tres Cruces Central - 6629 m above sea level
Nevado Tres Cruces Central is one of the three volcanic peaks (Nevada Tres Cruces) lying in the Andes on the Chilean side. It is elevated to 6629 m above sea level.
Place 5. Tipas - 6660 m above sea level
The Tipas volcano is also known as "Walther Penck" or "Cerro Cazadero". Is located - and how - in the Central Andes of Argentina, close to the border with Chile. It is basically a volcanic complex that consists of stratovolcanoes, volcanic domes and lava flows. The summit was named in honor of the German geomorphologist Walther Penck, while the first entry to Tipas was made by Sergio Kunstmann, Pedro Rosende and K. Takeshita in December 1970.
Place 4. Llullaillaco - 6739 m above sea level
The Llullaillaco volcano, although it ranks fourth in our ranking, is the world's highest active volcano. Its height reaches 6739 m above sea level. It is another stratovolcano on the border of Argentina and Chile, lying in And Central. The last eruptions of this volcano have been recorded in: 1854, 1868 and 1877. Its highest parts are covered with eternal snow and constitute the highest border of eternal snow (over 6000 meters). In the first decade of the 21st century, a mummified corpse of three Inca children (the so-called Children from Llullaillaco) was found on the glacier. Bión González and Juan Harseim made their first climb to the top of the volcano in December 1952.
Place 3. Tres Cruces Sur - 6748 m above sea level
The Nevado Tres Cruces volcano, located in the Andes, on the border between Chile and Argentina, has basically three vertices. Hence also its name, which can be translated as "Three snow-capped crosses." The two main peaks are Tres Cruces Sur (6748 m) and Tres Cruces Centro (6629 m). The third, slightly lower, is the northern peak - Tres Cruces Norte (6206 m). The first research in the volcano was conducted in 1883 by Francisco San Román, and in 1994, the Nevado Tres Cruces National Park was established there. The first eruption of the volcano took place at least 1.5 million years ago, the last - 28 thousand years ago. However, it is possible that Nevado Tres Cruces will awaken.
Place 2. Monte Pissis - 6793 m above sea level
The second position in our list is occupied by the extinct Monte Pissis volcano . Its height measured from sea level to the summit is 6793 m. Interestingly, during the Argentinian expedition in 1994, the GPS measurement indicated a volcano height of 6882 m. However, later trips confirmed that the massif is slightly lower. Monte Pissis belongs to the stratovolcanoes. It is located in the province of La Rioja in the Argentine Andes. The mountain was named in honor of a French geologist working in Chile - Pedro José Amadeo Pissis.
Place 1. Ojos del Salado - 6893 m above sea level
Also known as Nevados Ojos del Salado, which literally means "snow-covered salty eyes". The name comes from the huge deposits of salt, which in the form of lagoons or "eyes", occur within this massif. Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano on Earth. It is located in the Central Andes, on the border between Argentina and Chile. It is 6893 m above sea level. According to tetrochronological research, the last eruption of this stratovolcano took place in the 750 AD (± 250 years). For this reason Ojos del Salado is counted among the volcanoes dormant. The first entry to the top of Ojos del Salado was made by Jan Alfred Szczepański and Justyn Wojsznis in 1937 during the 2nd Polish Andean expedition.