The Most Active Volcanoes on Earth

The Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii is certainly the most active volcano on earth. It is followed by Etna in Sicily and Piton de la Fournaise on the island of Reunion. It is difficult to say which other volcanoes should come next in the ranking. However, this is how one might rank the most active volcanoes in the world:

1. Stromboli / Italy
2. Merapi / Indonesia
3. Erta Ale / Africa
4. Ol Doinyo Lengai / Africa
5. Mount Aso / Japan
6. Mount Yasur / Volcano in Vanuatu
7. Ambrym / Island in Vanuatu
8. Arenal / South America
9. Pacaya / Active complex volcano in Guatemala
10. Klyuchevsky / Kamchatka
11. Shiveluch / Kamchatka
12. Mt Erebus / Volcano in the Antarctic

Most active volcanoes in the world

There are more then 1400 volcanoes that have erupted at least once during the last 10,000 years, according to the Natural History Museum in Washington, USA.

What is the largest volcano on earth?

Mauna Loa in Hawaii is the largest volcano on our planet. It is a huge shield volcano that was formed due to countless lava spills. If you measure it from its underwater base all the way to the top, it reaches a total height of 17 km. Its weight has pushed the lava layers down to a depth of 9 km below the ocean floor, which is also 5 km below the surface.