A volcano is an opening on the surface of a planet or moon which allows material warmer than its surroundings to escape from the interior. When this material escapes it results in an eruption. There are an estimated 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide aside from the continuous belts of volcanoes which lie on the ocean floor.

       All eyes are turned to the Canary island of La Palma where a volcanic eruption began a month ago.

       A drone mission has been launched on the island in a bid to save three dogs trapped by the volcanic eruption on the island.

       A new vent opened at the base of the Cumbre Vieja volcano’s main cone on Tuesday, October 19, according to Spain’s Geological and Mining Institute (IGME).

       The institute said the video shows the volcano emitting a grey column of ash.

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       The tallest volcano is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - which stands at 5,895m tall.

       The African mountain is a snow-capped volcano and is made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira.

       Kibo, which is dormant but could erupt again, is the summit of the mountain and the tallest of the three volcanic formations - while Mawenzi and Shira are extinct.

       The Popocatepetl volcano is one of Mexico’s most active volcanoes, erupting back to life in 1994 and since that time produced powerful explosions at irregular intervals.

       The name is taken from the Nahuatl language where it means smokey mountain.

       Popocatépetl is an active stratovolcano, 43 miles south-east of the capital, Mexico City.

       The volcano measures 5,426m tall.

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       Mauna Loa is one of the tallest volcanoes on earth measures 4,169m high.

       The Mauna Loa is an active shield volcano and its lava eruptions are silica-poor and very fluid.

       This volcano is ranked as one of Earth’s most active volcanoes and therefore as it gradually rises more than 13,100ft above sea level, it is the largest active volcano in the world.

       Mount Fuji is the second-highest mountain located on an island in Asia and is the seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth.

       It is an active stratovolcano which has not erupted since 1707 to 1708.

       Japan is located on the most geologically active part of the planet, the Ring of Fire - a region known for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

       Mount Fuji stands at 3,776m tall.

       Mount Semeru is an active volcano located in East Java in Indonesia.

       The volcano has been in almost continuous eruption since 1967 and is known for its regular ash explosions which typically occur every 10 to 30 minutes.

       The volcano is one of the tallest volcanoes in the world, measuring 3,676m high.

       The remaining tallest volcanoes in the world are as follows: