Volcanic Records
This day in 1944 was the most recent occurrence of Mount Vesuvius erupting in Italy, taking 26 lives and forcing mass evacuations of nearby towns. Spectacular and deadly, here are some record breaking facts in this field:
Most active volcano
The world's most active volcano is Kilauea, in Hawaii, USA, erupting on a continuous basis since 1983. Lava is being discharged at a rate of 5 m³(7 yd³ or 176 ft³) per second.
Smallest volano
Sand volcanoes, also known as sand blows, are formed during earthquakes when water is squeezed out from subsurface layers, carrying sediment with it that erupts onto the surface. The largest sand volcanoes are only around a few metres across with heights of a few tens of centimetres.
Youngest volcano
Paricutin, in Mexico, is a volcanic cone that erupted from a corn field on 20 February 1943, and was volcanically active until 1953. Most of the activity occurred in the first year, during which the volcanic cone grew to a height of 336 m (1,100 ft). Paricutin offered geologists a rare opportunity to witness the birth, evolution and death of a volcano.
Largest volcano crater
The worlds largest caldera or volcano crater is that of Toba, north-central Sumatra, Indonesia, covering 1,775 km (685 miles). It last erupted around 75,000 years ago.
Highest active volcano
The Ojos del Salado on the border between Chile and Argentina, is the world's highest active volcano at 6,887 m (22,595 ft) high.
18 March 2008