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GEOGRAPHY
Physical - Topography
Most Dangerous Volcanoes
This list features the most dangerous volcanoes on Planet Earth based on the frequency and potency of their eruptions.
RANK | VOLCANO | CLOSEST CITY | DISTANCE | POPULATION | VEI SCALE (last eruption) |
1 | Yellowstone | Bozeman, Montana | 90 miles | 50,000 | 8 (640,000 years ago) |
2 | Vesuvius | Naples, Italy | 5 miles | 3,000,000 | 5 (1944) |
3 | Taal | Manila, Philippines | 30 miles | 37,000,000 | 5 (2020) |
4 | Fuji | Tokyo, Japan | 62 miles | 37,000,000 | 5 (1707) |
5 | Rainier | Seattle, USA | 54 miles | 4,000,000 | 5 (1894) |
6 | Novarupta | Kodiak, Alaska | 250 miles | 13,000 | 6 (1912) |
7 | Merapi | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | 18 miles | 3,000,000 | 4 (2021) |
8 | Popocatépetl | Mexico City, Mexico | 40 miles | 37,000,000 | 3 (2023) |
9 | Pinatubo | Angeles City, Philippines | 15 miles | 1,500,000 | 5 (1991) |
10 | St. Helens | Portland, Oregon | 50 miles | 2,500,000 | 5 (2008) |
11 | Sakurajima | Kagoshima, Japan | 7 miles | 600,000 | 4 (2021) |
12 | Galeras | Pasto, Colombia | 11 miles | 400,000 | 3 (2010) |
13 | Agung | Denpasar, Indonesia | 48 miles | 1,000,000 | 4 (2018) |
14 | Nyiragongo | Goma, DRC | 8 miles | 1,000,000 | 2 (2021) |
15 | Ulawun | Rabaul, Papua New Guinea | 34 miles | 100,000 | 3 (2017) |
References
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USGS. (1991). The Eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Available at: www.pubs.usgs.gov/fs/1993/0095/report.pdf [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
USGS. (2020). Mount Vesuvius. United States Geological Survey. Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-vesuvius[Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
USGS. (2021). Mount Rainier: The Volcano. United States Geological Survey. Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-rainier [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
USGS. (2021). Mount St. Helens. United States Geological Survey. Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/mount-st-helens [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
World Volcanism Program. (2010). Galeras. Smithsonian Institution. Available at: www.volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=351030 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
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