The insignificance of a person is nowhere so strongly felt as in the face of the elements. And the murderous beauty of volcanoes is simply impossible not to admire. So, here are the five most beautiful volcanoes on the planet.
Hualalai (Hawaiian Islands, USA)
The crater diameter of this volcano is about 4.5 kilometers, making it the largest active volcano on Earth. "Lunar" landscapes and bizarrely frozen lava are of greatest interest to tourists and nature lovers. Fascinating excursions are organized here, thanks to which you can find many photographs of this volcano and even its eruption, filmed on video. According to the ancient belief of local peoples, Khualalai is considered the habitat of the goddess of volcanoes Pele. Lava formations are also named in her honor. The lava drops, which, after cooling, congealed in the form of a tear, are called "Pele's tears", while the strands of volcanic glass, which were formed by the rapid cooling of lava flowing into the ocean, are called "Pele's hair."
Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
Who doesn't remember pictures of volcanoes from school geography textbooks? Probably, they were all made by Kilimanjaro, because this gray-haired giant has an almost perfect cone shape. This amazingly beautiful mountain can be seen even from space. The name "Kilimanjaro" literally means "the mountain that sparkles." However, the snow cap that covers its summit is now melting at an astonishing rate. Over the past hundred years, the amount of ice and snow on its top has decreased by 82%, and now scientists predict its complete disappearance literally within the next 7-9 years. So if you want to see Kilimanjaro the way it used to be in the textbooks, you should hurry up!
Vesuvius (Naples, Italy)
The eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD is perhaps the most famous in history. The disaster completely destroyed the ancient cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum in one day. Nowadays, Vesuvius looks pretty harmless, and its very name now increasingly evokes gastronomic associations. Yet Vesuvius is still considered the most dangerous volcano on the planet. And it is still active: the last eruption happened in 1944. Vesuvius is located in the south of the Apennine Peninsula, just 15 kilometers from the almost millionth Naples.
Eyjafjallajokull (Iceland)
Despite the fact that without breaking the tongue, the name of this northern rowdy at the first attempt can only be pronounced by the venerable tongue-twister, its eruption in 2010 brought him worldwide fame. This Eyjafjallajokull, during the eruption, emitted so much ash into the atmosphere that it provoked a global transport stagnation. Now, in the mountains of Iceland, everything is quite calm, flights go on schedule, and the once raging Eyjafjallajokull can be seen from the height of a helicopter flight.
Volcanoes of Alaska (USA)
A whole series of snow-capped volcanoes are so active that a separate observatory was created to study their behavior. In 2009, a series of eruptions occurred in Alaska, for the entire period of which a huge cloud of volcanic ash soared up to a height of about 15 kilometers, blocking all air traffic in Cook Bay. But now these volcanoes, as well as their Icelandic counterpart, can be admired from the height of a helicopter.