Chapter 1 - Global Distribution of Active Volcanoes

Abstract

Approximately 1,550 subaerial volcanoes in the world today are thought to have erupted in the last 10,000years, and thousands more volcanoes ring the seafloor. These active volcanoes mainly occur in curvilinear belts that define tectonic plate boundaries. Hundreds of millions of people live on the flanks of active volcanoes and could suffer the acute affects of even a moderate-sized eruption. Island arc nations such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan host the largest populations within 100km of an active volcano; Indonesia prompts further distinction as having the most explosive eruptions on record as well as the greatest number of eruption-related fatalities. The Volcanoes of the World database (version 4.1) maintained by Smithsonian's Global Volcanism Program, documents more than 10,000 Holocene eruptions, yet only six eruptions account for more than half of the total quantified fatalities. The assembled data bring into relief large gaps in our understanding of the risks posed by volcanoes and the need for more research into volcanic hazards, risks, and timescales.