Both the ice covering the 2,277-meter (7,470-foot) summit and the five glacial fingers reaching down toward the ocean make the Beerenberg stratovolcano appear dormant. But in fact, Beerenberg is the world’s northernmost active volcano: It erupted as recently as 1985. The name is Dutch for Bear Mountain, so named for the polar bears discovered there by Dutch whalers hundreds of years ago. Several expert Norwegian and Icelandic explorers have hiked the crater rim in recent years.
