This year, Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano provided a spectacular demonstration of nature’s power, as earthquakes, eruptions, and lava flows took place and fissures developed from May through August, forcing evacuations and destroying hundreds of homes. But Kilauea was not alone—out of an estimated 1,500 active volcanoes, 50 or so erupt every year, spewing steam, ash, toxic gases, and lava. In 2018, other erupting volcanoes included the Fuego volcano in Guatemala; Shinmoedake peak in Japan; Mount Sinabung , Mount Agung, and Anak Krakatau (“Child of Krakatoa”) in Indonesia; Piton de la Fournaise on Réunion Island; Mount Etna in Italy; Villarrica in Chile; the Mayon volcano in the Philippines, and more. Collected below are scenes from the wide variety of volcanic activity on Earth over the past year.
2018: The Year in Volcanic Activity
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Lava flows at a new fissure in the aftermath of eruptions from Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island as a local resident walks nearby after taking photos on May 12, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. #
Mario Tama / Getty -
Lava flows from a fissure in the aftermath of eruptions from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island on May 22, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. Blue flames from burning methane gas emerge from cracks in the road in front of the lava. #
Andrew Richard Hara / Ena Media Hawaii / Getty -
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Local tourists visit the crater of the Ijen volcano before sunrise to catch a glimpse of blue fire, caused by burning sulfur, in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia, on January 11, 2018. #
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Lava streams down from the Anak Krakatau ("Child of Krakatoa") volcano during an eruption as seen from Rakata Island in Lampung province, Indonesia, on July 19, 2018. #
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Lava erupts from the Rivals crater and flows down the south face of Piton de la Fournaise, or "Peak of the Furnace," on September 15, 2018, on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, according to the Piton de la Fournaise Volcano Observatory. #
Richard Bouhet / AFP / Getty -
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Volcanic rocks are spread around an area buried in ash, mud, and debris after the eruption of the Fuego volcano at San Miguel Los Lotes in Escuintla, Guatemala, on June 6, 2018. #
Carlos Jasso / Reuters -
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A view of the damage caused by the eruption of the Fuego volcano in San Miguel Los Lotes on June 4, 2018. At least 190 people were killed when the volcano erupted, belching ash and rock, and forcing the airport to close. #
Johan Ordonez / AFP / Getty -
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Relatives of Maria de Jesus Hernandez, who died during the eruption of the Fuego volcano, react during her funeral at a cemetery in Alotenango, Guatemala, on June 9, 2018. #
Jose Cabezas / Reuters -
Ash plumes rise from the volcano on Kadovar Island, Papua New Guinea, in the South Pacific on January 16, 2018. Thousands of people were evacuated from islands surrounding Kadovar, where a volcano had been erupting since January 5. #
Brenton-James Glover / AP -
Mount Etna spews lava during an eruption in Sicily, Italy, early on August 25, 2018. In August, Etna roared back into spectacular volcanic action, shooting up chunks of flaming lava as high as 150 meters, or 500 feet. #
Salvatore Allegra / AP -
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Mount Sinabung erupts with thick volcanic ash in Karo on Sumatra island on February 19, 2018. The volcano sent a massive column of ash and smoke some 5,000 meters, or 16,400 feet, into the air, leaving local villages coated in debris and officials scrambling to hand out face masks to residents. #
Tibta Pangin / AFP / Getty -
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Volcanic lightning is seen in the ash column above Shinmoedake peak as the volcano erupts between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in southwestern Japan on April 5, 2018. #
Kyodo / Reuters
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