The Pacific Ring of Fire is a horseshoe-shaped belt of volcanoes known for explosive eruptions and intense earthquakes.

A map shows significant active volcanoes in the Philippines, including Kanlaon Volcano. Graphic by John Saeki/AFP via Getty Images The Associated Press contributed to this report.

There are about 100 volcanoes in the Philippines, of which 24 are active. The country lies on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where 75 percent of the world’s volcanoes are situated.

One of the most active volcanoes in The Philippines erupted Tuesday morning with a big plume of ash shooting up to 4000 meters (2.4 miles) into the sky. N.C. Supreme Court halts decision requiring ...

The Kanlaon volcano in the Philippines erupted today (Dec. 9) at 3:03 p.m. local time, spouting an eruption column of up to 1.86 miles (3 kilometers) into the sky and triggering the evacuation of ...

The Philippines' Kanlaon volcano erupted for nearly four minutes, shooting ash 2.5 miles into the sky and prompting the emergency evacuation of some 87,000 people.

Active vs. dormant volcanoes Obviously, visible lava spewing from a volcano’s caldera, like Hawai’i’s Mount Kīlauea or Grimsvötn in Iceland, indicates that a volcano is active.

Many active volcanoes have long dormant periods. Mount St. Helens in Washington, for example, erupted between 1800 and 1857, then went quiet before dramatically blowing its top in 1980.

A volcano in the central Philippines erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash about 2.5 miles into the sky and forcing authorities to suspend school in four villages due to ashfall.