Over the course of millions of years, our planet has been shaped and sculpted by the movement of tectonic plates, the power of the seas and oceans, the force of wind and rain and of course, the heating and cooling of molten lava. New landmasses are regularly forming in our constantly changing world, as mother nature tirelessly flexes and stretches her muscles down through the centuries. It can be a sobering reminder that we’ve merely inherited the earth and only here for a relatively short time.
As destructive and as deadly as these forces can be, they hold an inextricable pull over us, perhaps none more so than volcanoes. We’ve recently seen their unstoppable power in Hawaii and Guatemala, but they’ve been equally enthralling and dangerous to humankind since we first evolved. We’ve climbed, studied, feared and worshipped these fascinating geological features, and we always will.
In today’s blog post we are going to examine some of the most volatile volcanoes on earth – and how you can visit them.
Mount Etna, Italy
Holding the title of the most active volcano in Europe – and one of the most active in the world – Mount Etna is also a massive tourist draw, located on the island of Sicily. In spite of there being many decades between major eruptions, Etna is always threatening something, and many experts believe she is simply “clearing her throat.” The last time she destroyed a population center was in 1928, but sandwiched between the neighboring towns of Catania and Messina, if she were to blow, the results would be catastrophic.