List of stratovolcanoes facts for kids

A stratovolcano is a tall, cone-shaped volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra (ash, cinders, and rocks), and volcanic ash. They are also known as composite volcanoes. These volcanoes are usually very steep and have explosive eruptions.

Africa's Towering Volcanoes

Mount Kenya in 1972.

Lava lake inside Mount Nyiragongo.

Volcanoes in Congo

• Mount Nyiragongo in Goma is a special volcano. It's one of the "Decade Volcanoes," meaning scientists watch it closely because it's active and near many people.
  • It has a hot lava lake inside its crater. In 2002, this lava overflowed because of cracks in the ground.
• Mount Karisimbi
• Mount Bisoke

Volcanoes in East Africa

• Mount Kenya in Kenya has cool volcanic plugs on its peak. These are like hardened lava cores.
• Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania is super unique! It's the only active volcano on Earth that produces a special kind of lava called carbonatite. This lava is cooler and flows differently than regular lava.
• Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is a huge, dormant stratovolcano. It's the highest point in all of Africa!
• Mount Meru in Tanzania

Volcanoes in the Mid-Atlantic

• Teide in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain is another "Decade Volcano" that scientists keep a close eye on.
• Mount Pico in Pico Island, Azores, Portugal is a prominent stratovolcano.

Americas' Fiery Peaks

Caribbean Islands' Volcanoes

• Soufriere Hills on Montserrat island had big eruptions in 1995. These eruptions made people leave the capital city, Plymouth.
• Mount Pelée on Martinique had a terrible eruption on May 8, 1902. It completely destroyed the capital city, Saint-Pierre, and sadly, over 30,000 people died.
• Mount Scenery on Saba is the highest point in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Central America's Volcanoes

Arenal Volcano in November 2006.

(From left to right) Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango volcanoes, taken from Guatemala City.

Costa Rica

• Arenal is a well-known volcano in Costa Rica.
• Poás
• Irazu

El Salvador

• Santa Ana
• Izalco

Guatemala

• Volcán Tajumulco is the highest volcano and highest point in all of Central America!
• Volcán Santa María is a "Decade Volcano." It has a smaller peak next to it called Santiaguito.
• Volcán de Fuego is very active. It erupted in June 2018.
• Volcán de Agua
• Acatenango
• Pacaya

Nicaragua

• Concepción
• Momotombo
• San Cristóbal Volcano

Panama

• Volcán Barú

North America's Majestic Volcanoes

Northwest side of Mount Rainier seen from Tacoma

The Mount Cayley volcanic complex on August 13, 2005. Summits left to right are Pyroclastic Peak and Mount Cayley.

Mount Adams, 2013

Mount Hood, 2017

Canada

• Mount Meager massif in British Columbia had Canada's most recent huge eruption about 2,400 years ago.

Mexico

• Popocatépetl is a large volcano located about 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Mexico City.
• Colima is another "Decade Volcano" that is closely monitored.
• Pico de Orizaba

United States

Alaska

• Augustine Volcano
• Mount Cleveland
• Mount Redoubt
• Mount Shishaldin

Washington (state)

• Mount Rainier is a "Decade Volcano" and a very large stratovolcano.
• Mount St. Helens is famous for its huge eruption on May 18, 1980. A massive landslide happened first, which made the volcano much shorter.
• Mount Baker
• Mount Adams

Oregon

• Mount Hood is Oregon's most active volcano.
• Mount Jefferson
• The Three Sisters are a group of volcanoes.
• Mount Mazama erupted over 7,000 years ago. This eruption caused its top to collapse, forming a large bowl-shaped caldera where Crater Lake now sits.
• Mount McLoughlin

California

• Mount Shasta is a large stratovolcano in California.
• Shastina is a cone next to Mount Shasta.

Arizona

• San Francisco Mountain is a volcanic mountain range.
• Humphreys Peak is the highest point in Arizona.

New Mexico

• Mount Taylor

South America's Giants

San Vicente in 1994

A view of Acotango from Chungará Lake

Lanín, January 1997

Chile

• Ojos del Salado is on the border between Argentina and Chile. It is the highest volcano in the world!
• Villarrica
• Calbuco erupted in April 2015.
• Lanín is another volcano shared between Argentina and Chile.

Colombia

• Galeras is a "Decade Volcano" that scientists watch closely.
• Nevado del Ruiz had a very destructive eruption in 1985. It created huge mudflows called lahars, which buried the nearby town of Armero.

Ecuador

• Cotopaxi is one of the world's highest active volcanoes.
• Chimborazo
• Tungurahua

Peru

• El Misti
• Ubinas

Antarctica's Icy Volcanoes

• Mount Erebus is an active volcano in Antarctica.
• Mount Melbourne

Asia's Ring of Fire Volcanoes

Western Asia

• Mount Damavand in Iran is the highest peak in the Middle East.
• Mount Ararat in Turkey is a famous stratovolcano.

Photo of mount Ararat (ağri dağı) seen from space

South Asia

• Barren Island in India is the only active stratovolcano in the Indian subcontinent.

Southeast Asia

Volcanic activity at Anak Krakatau

Ash plume of Mount Pinatubo during the June 1991 eruption

Mayon Volcano in May 08, 2010

Indonesia

• Krakatoa had a super violent eruption in August 1883. It completely destroyed the three-peaked volcanic island.
  • Later, a new island called Anak Krakatoa (meaning "Child of Krakatoa") emerged from the sea between 1927 and 1930.
• Mount Merapi in Central Java is a "Decade Volcano" because it's very active and close to many people.
• Mount Tambora on the island of Sumbawa had a catastrophic eruption in 1815. This eruption was so big it caused a "Year Without a Summer" in 1816, affecting weather around the world.
• Mount Semeru and Mount Bromo in East Java are famous volcanoes.
• Mount Agung in Bali

Philippines

• Mayon Volcano in Albay is the most active volcano in the Philippines. It's famous for its almost perfect cone shape.
• Mount Pinatubo in Zambales had a huge eruption in June 1991. This eruption created a caldera (a large crater) that later filled with a lake. Its effects were felt globally.
• Mount Apo in Davao City, Mindanao is considered a dormant volcano and is the highest point in the Philippines.
• Mount Banahaw in Quezon is an active volcano. Its 1730 eruption caused a huge mudslide and a lake in its crater to collapse, flooding Sariaya, Quezon.

East Asia

Japan

Peak of Mount Fuji

An eruption of Sakurajima in March 2009

• Mount Fuji is the highest point in Japan and a very famous stratovolcano. It last erupted in 1708.
• Sakurajima is a very active volcano and a "Decade Volcano." It often has small eruptions.
• Mount Aso is the largest volcano in Japan.
• Mount Unzen erupted in 1991 and is also a "Decade Volcano."
• Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, causing major problems for air travel across Europe.
• Mount Usu
• Mount Yōtei

North Korea

• Baekdu Mountain is on the border between North Korea and China.

Russia

Klyuchevskaya Sopka in July 2006

• Klyuchevskaya Sopka (or Kliuchevskoi) in Kamchatka Krai is the highest active volcano in all of Eurasia (Europe and Asia).
• Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus is the highest point on the European continent.
• Avachinsky and Koryaksky in Kamchatka Krai are both "Decade Volcanoes."

Europe's Volcanic Wonders

The summit of Snæfellsjökull.

Etna's 2002 eruption, photographed from the ISS.

Aerial view of Mount Vesuvius.

Italy's Famous Volcanoes

• Mount Etna near Catania in Sicily is the tallest active volcano in Europe. It erupted recently in 2013 and is still active. It's also a "Decade Volcano."
• Mount Vesuvius is very famous for its powerful eruption on August 24, A.D. 79, which buried the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It last erupted in March 1944 and is a "Decade Volcano."
• Stromboli is one of the Lipari Islands. It has been erupting almost continuously for over 2,000 years, making it one of the most active volcanoes in Europe.

Iceland's Fiery Landscape

• Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010, causing a lot of trouble for air travel and flight cancellations across Europe.
• Hekla
• Snæfellsjökull

Norway

• Beerenberg in Jan Mayen is the world's northernmost active volcano. It last erupted in 1985.

Oceania's Island Volcanoes

Australia

• Mount Porndon in Victoria

New Zealand

• Mount Taranaki
• Mount Ruapehu
• Whakaari/White Island is an active island volcano.

Papua New Guinea

Mount Lamington in February 1951

• Mount Lamington is an active stratovolcano known for its 1951 eruption, which tragically killed 3,000 people.
• Ulawun is another "Decade Volcano" in Papua New Guinea.
• Tavurvur recently erupted in 2014.
• Kadovar is a small island stratovolcano that erupted for the first time on record in 2018.

See also

• List of shield volcanoes
• List of cinder cones
• List of lava domes
• List of subglacial volcanoes