At all times, volcanoes instilled genuine fear into people, but there are whole regions where local residents are forced to live side by side with these dangerous giants. From this article you will learn which volcanoes are the largest in America.
North America
In this part of the continent is the volcano, which is the largest on the planet , and not just in North America. It's about the Yellowstone caldera - a super volcano, located in the state of Wyoming, in the National Park. Its height is 2805 meters. It covers an area of 3,960 square kilometers, which is one third of the area of the National Park. This area is located above the hot spot, where the movement of the molten rock of the mantle is directed to the surface of the earth. Today this point is covered by the Yellowstone plateau, but many years ago it was it that caused the formation of the eastern part of the Snake lowlands after a number of large eruptions of the volcano.
Scientists have discovered the remnants of the crater of this super volcano only in the 1960s, guided by data from satellite imagery. It turned out that the subcrater layer still holds a huge bubble of incandescent magma in its bowels. The temperature in it varies within 800 degrees. That is why from the terrestrial interior to the surface water vapor escapes, and thermal springs are heated, releasing carbon dioxide and clouds of hydrogen sulfide.
| | | |
According to scientists, the first giant eruption of the Yellowstone caldera occurred more than two million years ago. This led to the disintegration of mountain ranges, covering 25% of the territory of modern North America with a layer of volcanic ash. The second eruption dates back to 1.27 million years before our time, and the third occurred 640,000 years ago. Then a huge round hollow with a radius of 150 kilometers was formed, which is called the caldera. This happened as a result of the failure of the vertex of the super volcano. According to scientists, the probability that a powerful volcano can wake up is 0.00014%. Probability is negligible, but it exists.
South America
In South America, the largest volcano is the volcano Cotopaxi, whose height is 5896 meters. The second place belongs to the Sangay volcano (5,410 meters), and the third to the Mexican Popocatepetel (5452 meters). The Guinness Book of Records states that the highest volcano is Ochos del Salado, located on the Argentine-Chilean border, but it is considered extinct. In total, in South America there are 194 large and small volcanoes, most of which are extinct.
| | | |
| | | |
