Terrifying Volcanoes

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are one of nature's biggest weapons. Both unpredictable in nature and catastrophic in action, these mega-masses are as interesting as they are dangerous. Here are some of the coolest, and scariest, pictures of the world's volcanoes.

(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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Terrifying Volca... Volcanoes are one of nature's biggest weapons. Both unpredictable in nature and catastrophic in action, these mega-masses are as interesting as they are dangerous. Here are some of the coolest, and scariest, pictures of the world's volcanoes.

(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius, though not currently erupting, is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Despite the threat it still causes to some 600,000 Italian citizens, Vesuvius is most known for its 79 AD eruption that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

(AP Photo)

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Mount Etna Mount Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Etna became a constant source of worry for the Sicilians living in her path in the early 2010's when she spewed volcanic matter for weeks.
The volcano's most violent eruption was in 1669. Lava flows destroyed villages around its base and submerged part of the town of Catania, killing 15,000 people.

(AP Photo/Francesco Saya)

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Krakatoa Krakatoa was a massive volcanic island that exploded in 1883, killing approximately 40,000 people. After several years of underwater activity, a new island volcano, named Anak Krakatau, rose above the water's surface. Anak Krakatau, which means "child of Krakatoa" continues to be one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes.

(AP Photo/Ed Wray)

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Mount St. Helens Mount St. Helens is most famous for its catastrophic eruption in May 1980, killing 57 people and destroying hundreds of homes.

(AP Photo/Jeff T. Green)

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Mount Mayon Mount Mayon is currently the most active volcano in the Philippines. The massive volcano has erupted over 49 times in the past 400 years. Mayon made news headlines around the world when it erupted from July of 2006 to October of 2006.

(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

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Kilauea This volcano is one of the five shield volcanoes which come together to form the island of Hawaii. It remains one of the most active volcanoes in the world today.

(AP Photo/David Jordan)

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Mount Merapi Mount Merapi, meaning "mountain of fire," is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. In October 2010 the Indonesian government raised the alert for Mount Merapi to its highest level. The volcano erupted later that month.

(AP Photo/Ed Wray)

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Mount Bromo The last major eruption of mount Bromo took place 2004 and killed two people. Citizens living near Mount Bromo have been on high alert since November of 2010 when the activity status of Mount Bromo was moved to "alert" due to the increasing activity of tremors and shallow earthquakes in the mountain.

(AP Photo/Trisnadi)

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Cotopaxi Cotopaxi is one of 55 volcanoes located along Ecuador's nothern Andean spine for 190 miles, earning the area the name "Avenue of Volcanoes." Seventeen of the 55 volcanoes are considered active, including Cotopaxi.

(AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa R.)

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Popocatepetl Popocatepetl, the second highest peak in all of Mexico, is an active volcano that has had more than 20 major eruptions since the arrival of the Spanish in 1519.

(AP Photo/Ulises Ruiz)

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Mount Nyiragongo Mount Nyiragongo is the ultimate symbol of death in Goma, the lakeside city it shadows and has overrun several times. Yet it's also a symbol of rebirth and resilience for a nation slowly emerging from war. In March, park rangers cleared Rwandan militias from its slopes and reopened the summit for the first time in a year and a half.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

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Eyjafjallajokul This volcano made headlines in 2010 after volcanic ash snaked its way through southern France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany and shut down airports across Europe.

(AP Photo/APTN)

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Tungurahua A view of the Tungurahua volcano throwing ashes in Huambalo, in Ecuador's central highlands, Friday, May 28, 2010. The Tungurahua has been constantly erupting since 1999.

(AP Photo/Patricio Realpe)

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Merapi Glows In this photo taken late Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2010, lava glows at the crater of Mount Merapi as seen from Deles, Central Java, Indonesia. Indonesia's most dangerous volcano is once again sending searing gas clouds and burning rocks down its scorched flanks.

(AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

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Merapi Spews Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Sleman, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 15, 2010. Thousands of villagers returned to ash-covered homes along the slopes of Indonesia's most volatile volcano Monday, after the government said some areas well away from the fiery crater appeared out of danger from another eruption.

(AP Photo)

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Electric Eyjafja... In this April 18, 2010 file photo, lighting is seen amid the lava and ash erupting from the vent of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in central Iceland early morning as it continues to vent into the skies over Europe. Low-energy lightning is sometimes active during eruptions, arcing between particles as they exit the volcanic vent at around 100 metres per second.

(AP Photo/ Jon Pall Vilhelmsson)

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Smokey Merapi Mount Merapi spews volcanic material as seen from Wukirsari, Indonesia, Monday, Nov. 8, 2010.

(AP Photo)

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Tungurahua Volca... A column of smoke and ashes comes out from the Tungurahua volcano in Pelileo, Ecuador, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010. No casualties were reported.

(AP Photo/Patricio Realpe)

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Space Volcano This image provided by NASA shows a radar mapping image made by the Cassini spacecraft of a flyover area on Saturn's giant moon Titan showing an ice volcano. There's been ongoing debate about whether volcanoes exist on ice-rich moons in the outer solar system. Such a volcano may spew ice and hydrocarbons instead of lava.

(AP Photo/NASA)

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Etna Erupts This picture made available Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, shows lava overflowing from the eastern rim of the erupting pit crater of Mount Etna, Sicily, Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011. Italy's Mount Etna has come back to life with a brief eruption that sent lava down its slopes and a cloud of ash into the sky, forcing the overnight closure of a nearby airport. The Volcanology Institute in Catania, eastern Sicily, said Thursday that a two-hour eruption overnight sent a little stream of lava down the eastern slope of the mountain. Nobody was injured.

(AP Photo/Carmelo Imbesi)

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Pu'u O'o Crater In this photo provided by the US Geological Survey, taken Saturday, March 5, 2011, Incandescent rubble is shown rolling down the scarp of Pu'u O'o crater near Volcano, Hawaii. Scientists are monitoring a new vent that has opened at the Kilauea volcano, sending lava shooting up to 65 feet high.

(AP Photo/US Geological Survey)

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Bromo Blows In this photo made with a slow shutter speed, Mount Bromo is seen spewing volcanic materials as seen from Cemara Lawang village, East Java, Indonesia, Friday, March 11, 2011. Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of 235 million people, has more active volcanoes than any other country in the world.

(AP Photo/Trisnadi)

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Lightning Volcanoes aren't the only terrifying product of nature. Check out some amazing pictures of lightning here.