Villarrica volcano

Villarica volcano, Chile

Large, 2,860 m tall volcano that has an intermittent lava lake in its 50 m wide craters. Summit of the volcano is permanently covered with snow and glaciers.

Masaya volcano

Lava lake of Masaya Volcano

Very active and unusual volcano (635 m) with several active craters. Santiago crater emits large amounts of sulfur dioxide that created acid rain and eliminated vegetation around the volcano. Masaya crater contains intermittent lava lakes – in 1670 in Nindiri crater it was up to 1 km large, by far the largest known lava lake.

Mount Michael

Mount Michael in October 2015

An active volcano on this small, glacier-covered island. Its 0.7 km wide crater contains one of the few active lava lakes in the world. The size of the lava lake fluctuates between 90 – 215 m. The volcano is 990 m tall and, as far as it is known, none has climbed the mountain.

Mount Nyamuragira

Mount Nyamuragira in January 2014

Africa’s most active volcano, 3,058 m high. The volcano has erupted 30 times since 1880 and produces the major part of sulfur dioxide pollution in the world. The volcano has created lava fields. An intense eruption took place also in 2010 and damaged the virgin rainforest. The volcano contains an intermittent lava lake that seems to become more stable and permanent.

Benbow Crater with lava lake

Lava lake in Benbow Crater, January 2007

A spectacular, very deep hole with vertical walls where for the most time is observed a lava lake. Acid rain formed by the gases from craters has burned approximately 100 km² large plain in the jungle of Vanuatu. Here live specially adapted organisms – insects, orchids.

Mount Nyiragongo – volcano with lava lake

Lava lake in Mount Nyiragongo

One of the few volcanos in the world with a nearly permanent lava lake in it. Height of the mountain – 3,470 m. Depth of lava lake has reached up to 600 m. Eruptions produce very fluid lava of rare type. The speed of lava flows here can reach 100 km/h and the volcano is very steep.

Erta Ale

Erta Ale lava lake, Ethiopia

One of the most active volcanos in the world, with a constant lava lake (sometimes two lakes) in the crater, known since 1906. None of the other known lava lakes in the world have such a long lifetime.