Where Are Volcanoes Located In The World

Where Are Volcanoes Located In The World

In this article from OneHowTo.com, we are going to explain where active volcanoes are located in the World . At present, plate tectonics explain the origin of the various geological phenomena taking place in the world, including volcanoes.

The Circum-pacific Volcanic Belt

This area is known as the "Ring of Fire" because in is where the largest earthquakes occur and because it hosts nearly 80% of the world's active volcanoes. The belt extends in a circular shape around the whole Pacific Ocean and includes the shores of America (South, Middle and North), Alaska, Aleut, Japan Indonesia, New Zealand and the islands in the Antarctic.

Image: ca.wikipedia.org

Mediterranean-Asian volcanic Belt

This area, which is also known as Alpide belt, extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through the Mediterranean and Asia. The representative volcanos are Etna, Vulcano, Stromboli and Vesuvius (Italy), Almeria, Olot and Cape Gata (SE Spain).

Image: en.wikipedia.org

Indian volcanic zone

The area surrounding the Indian Ocean and Sumatra-Java joins the circumpacific area. There are also many islands and sea-mounts in the Indian dorsal which present active volcano activity: Reunion Island and the Comoros Islands in the Strait of Madagascar.

African volcanic zone

This area includes all volcanoes located in the continental rift which extends from Mozambique in Africa to Turkey. The most representative volcanoes are Kilimanjaro, Meru, Kenya and the Niragongo. Between Ethiopia and Somalia is the birth of a new ocean with the presence of a nascent ocean ridge that separates the African and the Arabian plate in which there are many volcanoes like Erta Ale and Fantale in Ethiopia. In West Africa, volcanism is present on the islands of Fernando Po, Principe, Sao Tome and Annobon.

Atlantic volcanic zone

This area extends from north to south, along the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. In it, the northern volcanism is located on the island of Jan Mayen in the Greenland Sea and the Atlantic Ridge volcanoes in Ascension, St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Gough Islands. In the Central Atlantic, volcanism is present in Madeira and Savage Islands, in addition to the archipelagos of the Azores and the Canary Islands (Tenerife - Teide, La Palma - Teneguía).

Andean Volcanic Belt

The Andean Belt, as its name suggests, is located in South America and covers mainly the area f the Andean cordillera. This volcanic belt includes the western area of South America, affectic countries such as Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina and includes volcanoes such as Fueguino (Chile) and Romeral (Colombia).

Image: en.wikipedia.org

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Tips
  • Today, of the 500 active volcanoes in the world, only 5% remains in continuous activity and some with very impressive surface manifestations such as Stromboli and Vesuvius in Italy, Kilimanjaro in Ethiopia, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. These volcanoes are constituted as dangerous because they could cause severe damage to the population and infrastructure of cities that are located next to them damage. However, volcanoes have not only caused destruction but they also allow the presence of various natural resources such as geothermal energy (heat and hot water) and minerals, and tourism. For example, in Japan, Italy and Canada the heat from inside the Earth is used to generate heat in homes.