Famous volcanic eruptions in human history. The largest volcanic eruption in human history

Incredible facts

Mid-June this year marked the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which sent huge amounts of ash into the atmosphere and swirled around the globe, leading to a 0.5 degree Celsius drop in global temperatures the following year.

On this anniversary, we decided to highlight the largest volcanic eruptions as measured by the Volcanic Eruption Index (VEI), a classification system similar to a scale used to measure earthquake levels.

The system was developed in the 1980s, taking into account factors such as eruption volume, eruption speed and other quantitative variables. The scale ranges from 1 to 8, with each subsequent VEI being 10 times stronger than the previous one.

There have been no index 8 volcanic eruptions in the last 10,000 years, however, human history has witnessed several powerful and destructive eruptions. Below are the 10 most powerful volcanic eruptions that have occurred over the past 4,000 years.

Huaynaputina, Peru - 1600, VEI 6

It was the largest volcanic eruption of all time in South American history. The explosion triggered mudflows that reached the Pacific Ocean, which was located 120 km from the scene of the events. Among other things, the explosion also appears to have affected the global climate. The summer of 1600 was one of the coldest in the previous 500 years. Ash from the explosion covered everything within a radius of 50 square kilometers.

Despite the fact that the mountain is quite high (4850 meters), no one expected it to erupt. It stands on the edge of a deep canyon, and its peak does not at all resemble the silhouette that is usually associated with possible eruptions. The cataclysm of 1600 damaged the nearby cities of Arequipa and Moquegau, which took a century to recover.

Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia - 1883, VEI 6

The powerful explosion that occurred on August 26-27, 1883 was accompanied by loud peals for several months. The eruption of this stratovolcano, located along a volcanic island arc in the subduction zone of the Indo-Australian Plate, ejected huge amounts of rock, ash and pumice, and was heard thousands of kilometers away.

The explosion also triggered the development of a tsunami, the maximum wave height reached 40 meters, killing more than 34,000 people. Tidal sensors located 11,000 km from the Arabian Peninsula even recorded an increase in wave height.

While the island that had been Krakatoa's home before the eruption was left completely destroyed, new eruptions began in December 1927 and triggered the emergence of Anak Krakatoa ("Child of Krakatoa"), a cone at the center of the caldera resulting from the 1883 eruption. Anak Krakatoa comes to his senses from time to time, reminding everyone of his great parent.

Volcano Santa Maria, Guatemala - 1902, VEI 6

The eruption of Santa Maria in 1902 was one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century. A strong explosion occurred after almost 500 years of silence, leaving behind a large crater, about 1.5 km in diameter, on the southwestern flank of the mountain.

The symmetrical, tree-covered volcano is part of a chain of stratovolcanoes that rises along the Pacific plain of Guatemala's coast. From the moment of the strongest explosion, the volcano began to show its character too often. So, in 1922, an eruption occurred with a force of VEI 3, and in 1929, Santa Maria “issued” a pyroclastic flow (fast-moving and flammable clouds of gas and dust), which killed more than 5,000 people.

Novarupta, Alaska Peninsula - June 1912, VEI 6

The eruption of Novarupta, one of a chain of volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, was the largest volcanic explosion of the 20th century. The powerful eruption triggered the release of 12.5 cubic kilometers of magma and ash into the air, which then settled on the ground within a radius of 7,800 square kilometers.

Mount Pinatubo, Luzon, Philippines - 1991, VEI 6

The catastrophic eruption of Pinatubo was a classic explosive eruption. The eruption released more than 5 cubic kilometers of by-products into the air and created a plume of ash that rose 35 kilometers into the atmosphere. Then all this fell on one village, the roofs of many of whose houses even collapsed under the weight of the ash.

The explosion also released several million tons of sulfur dioxide and other elements into the air, which spread around the world via air currents and caused global temperatures to drop by 0.5 degrees Celsius next year.

Ambrym Island, Republic of Vanuatu – 50 AD, VEI 6+

The volcanic island, covering an area of ​​665 sq km, part of a tiny country in the southwest Pacific, witnessed one of the most spectacular eruptions in human history, when a huge amount of ash and ash was thrown into the atmosphere and a caldera 12 km in diameter was formed .

The volcano continues to be one of the most active in the world to this day. It has erupted about 50 times since 1774, and has proven to be the most dangerous neighbor for the people living nearby. In 1894, six people died as a result of being hit by volcanic bombs, and four people drowned in lava flows. In 1979, acid rain caused by a volcanic eruption burned several local residents.

Volcano Ilopango, El Salvador – 450 AD, VEI 6+

Although this mountain is in the center of El Salvador, just a few miles east of the capital San Salvador, it has only experienced two eruptions in its history, the first being a very violent one. It covered much of Central and Western El Salvador in ash and ash, and destroyed early Mayan cities, forcing residents to flee for their lives.

Trade routes were destroyed and the center of Mayan civilization moved from the mountainous areas of El Salvador to the lowland areas to the north in Guatemala. The eruption calderas are now one of the largest lakes in El Salvador.

Mount Thera, Santorini Island, Greece – 1610 BC, VEI 7

Geologists believe the Aegean island volcano Thera exploded with a force equivalent to several hundred atomic bombs. Although there is no record of an eruption, geologists think it was the largest explosion ever seen by man.

The island of Santorini (part of the archipelago of volcanic islands), on which the volcano is located, was home to the people of the Minoan civilization, although there are some indications that the inhabitants of the island suspected that the volcano “wanted” to explode and were able to evacuate in time. But even if we assume that the inhabitants managed to escape, their culture was still greatly damaged as a result of the eruption. It is also worth noting that the volcano triggered a massive tsunami, and the huge release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere caused a global decrease in temperature and climate change subsequently.

Changbaishan Volcano, border between China and North Korea, 1000, VEI 7

Also known as Baitoushan Volcano, its eruption released so much volcanic material that even northern Japan, 1,200 km away, felt it. The eruption created a large caldera - almost 4.5 km in diameter and about 1 km deep. The caldera is now Tianchi Lake, which is popular among tourists not only for its beauty, but also for the supposed unidentified creatures living in its depths.

The mountain last erupted in 1702 and geologists believe it is dormant. Gas emissions were recorded in 1994, but no evidence of renewed volcanic activity was observed.

Mount Tambora, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia - 1815, VEI 7

The explosion of Mount Tambora is the largest in the history of mankind, its explosiveness index is 7, which is a very high indicator. The volcano, which is still active, is one of the highest peaks in the Indonesian archipelago. The eruption reached its climax in April 1815, with an explosion so loud that it was heard on the island of Sumatra, which is located more than 1,930 km away. The death toll was 71,000 people, and clouds of heavy ash fell on many islands located very far from the volcano.

Review of the most significant volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.

1902 May 8, Martinique island, Mont Pele volcano

At 7 o'clock 50 min. The Mont Pele volcano exploded into pieces - 4 strong explosions were heard, similar to cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. But this was not the most dangerous release. It was the lateral emissions - those that from that time would be called "Peleian" - that sent fire and brimstone at hurricane speed along the mountainside directly to Saint-Pierre - one of the main ports of the island of Martinique.

Superheated volcanic gas, due to its high density and high speed of movement, spread above the ground itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction extended another 60 km2. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of hot ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry fragments of rocks and volcanic emissions, had a temperature of 700–980 ° C and was able to melt glass. Mont Pele erupted again on May 20, with almost the same force as on May 8.

The Mont Pele volcano, flying into pieces, destroyed Saint-Pierre along with its population. 36 thousand people died.

1902 October 24, Guatemala, Santa Maria Volcano

The Santa Maria volcano is located in the western part of Guatemala, height 3762 m; during its eruption, an area of ​​323.75 thousand km2 was covered with a layer of volcanic ash and debris 20 cm thick. An explosion of gigantic power was heard 800 km away - in Costa Rica, an entire mountainside flew up, taking with it everything that was on it, then giant boulders collapsed down the slope. 6 thousand people died.

The clouds that formed after the eruption hung for weeks. Before dissipating, they rose to a height of up to 20 km. This eruption is considered the largest in the entire history of volcanic emissions into the atmosphere.

1911 January 30, Philippines, Taal Volcano

The worst eruption of the 20th century at Taal, a permanently active volcano in the Philippines, killed 1,335 people. This was a classic example of a "Peleian" type eruption, where eruptions occur not only from the summit crater, but also from craters on the mountainside, often with hurricane-force winds. In practice, the volcano does not emit lava, but masses of white hot ash and superheated steam.

In 10 min. all living things ceased to exist. A layer of mud up to 80 m thick, accompanied by a flow of toxic volcanic gases, destroyed people and houses at a distance of 10 km. Gradually, ash covered an area of ​​almost 2 thousand km2.

The mountain exploded a second time with almost the same force as the first eruption. The roar was heard at a distance of almost 500 km. A black cloud of ash rose up, darkening the sky over Manila, located 65 km from the volcano. The cloud was seen from a distance of 400 km.

Taal remained calm until 1965, when it erupted again, killing 200 people. To this day it remains an active and dangerous volcano.

1931 December 13–28, Indonesia, o. Java, Merapi volcano

One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Both slopes of the volcano exploded, and erupted volcanic ash covered half the island. In two weeks, from December 13 to 28, the volcano erupted a lava flow about 7 km long, up to 180 m wide and up to 30 m deep. The white-hot flow scorched the earth and destroyed all the villages in its path. More than 1,300 people died.

1944 June, Mexico, Paricutin volcano

Paricutin is a volcano that was written about in many magazines in 1943 as “a volcano born in a cornfield before the eyes of its owner.”

He actually got up in the cornfield. For many years there was a small hole in this place; on February 5, 1943, a series of ever-increasing tremors began, as a result of which a crack appeared not far from the hole. On February 19, residents felt at least 300 tremors. On February 20, the crack on one side of the hole began to expand. Almost immediately there was a sound like thunder. Nearby trees shook and the ground swelled about a meter. Here and there smoke and fine ash-gray dust began to rise from the crack. On February 21, lava began to pour out of the growing cone. By the end of the first week, the height of the cone was 15 m, by the end of the first year it had grown to 300 m. In June 1944, a strong eruption occurred. A huge lava flow descended towards the village of Paricutin and the larger village of San Juan de Parangaricutiro. Dense ash partially covered both settlements, and there were several casualties.

1951 January 21, New Guinea, Lamington Volcano

The eruption of Mount Lamington killed 2,942 people. Many of them died from hurricane-force winds filled with steam, hot ash, debris and hot mud. These hurricane-force winds were called "new Ardente" and manifested themselves during the eruption of the Mont Pelé volcano in 1902.

The eruption of Lamington in New Guinea on January 21 was exactly the same type as Mont Pele - with "new ardentes" sweeping away everything in their path as they descended the slope of the volcano. A series of monstrous explosions tore apart the peak and slopes, throwing out a huge mushroom-shaped cloud of ash, which in 2 minutes. rose to a height of 12 km, and after 20 minutes. reached a height of 15 km. The explosion was so strong that it was heard on the coast of New Britain - 320 km from Lamington. Breaking out of the mountainside, the New Ardente rushed down, sweeping away the forests so that not even stumps remained.

After another catastrophic ejection at 20:00. 40 min. Mount Lamington ceased visible activity on 21 January. Within 15 years, the vegetation returned to normal, but the slopes are not inhabited to this day.

1956 March 30, USSR, Kamchatka, Bezymyanny volcano

The violent explosion of the Bezymianny volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula went largely unnoticed, as there were no fatalities. However, in terms of intensity it is on a par with the Peleian eruptions.

March 30 at 5 p.m. 10 min. A monstrous explosion split the top of the snow-covered Bezymyanny, which had previously risen to a height of 3048 m above sea level. In a matter of seconds, 183 m of the peak was cut off from the volcano, and volcanic dust rose from the crater to a height of 30–40 km.

Volcanologist G.O. Gorshkov, who was nearby in the village of Klyuchi, described this scene as follows: “The cloud swirled strongly and quickly changed its shape... It seemed very dense and almost palpably heavy. Along with the cloud, the roar of thunder arose and intensified, accompanied by incessant flashes of lightning. Around 17 hour 40 minutes, when the cloud had already passed its zenith, ash began to fall... and by 18 hours 20 minutes it became so dark that it was impossible to see your own hand, even if you brought it to your face.People returning from work ", wandered around the village in search of their houses. Peals of thunder rumbled with deafening force, without stopping. The air was saturated with electricity, telephones were ringing spontaneously, loudspeakers in the radio network were burning out... There was a strong smell of sulfur."

A hot layer of ash, covering an area of ​​482 km2, melted the snow and formed rapid mud flows in the valley of the Sukhaya Khapitsa River and valleys located on the slopes of adjacent volcanoes. These streams washed away huge boulders weighing hundreds of tons and carried them through the valley, sweeping away everything in their path. Trees were uprooted or burned. 3 weeks after the eruption of G.O. Gorshkov discovered thousands of streams of fumarole gases rising from the surface of a 30-meter layer of ash over an area of ​​47 km2.

1980 May 18, USA, Washington state, Mount St. Helens

A cloud of ash, which shot up vertically from the cone in 10 minutes, rose to a height of 19.2 km. Day turned into night. In the city of Spokane (Washington State), 400 km from the volcano, visibility dropped to 3 m in broad daylight as soon as this cloud reached the city. In Yakima, 145 km from the volcano, a layer of ash up to 12 cm thick fell. Lesser amounts of ash fell in Idaho, in the central part of Montana and partially in Colorado. The ash cloud circled the globe in 11 days. For several weeks, the ash belt colored the sunsets and affected the atmosphere. As with most eruptions, a lava dome was formed with a height of 183 m and a diameter of 610 m. Lava began to pour out of it. Throughout 1982, Mount St. Helens erupted again, but with less force.

The energy released during the catastrophic explosion of the volcano corresponded to the energy of 500 atomic bombs of the type dropped on Hiroshima, or 10 million tons of TNT. An area of ​​600 km2 burned to the point of a lunar landscape.

Mount St. Helens shrunk like a broken tooth. The once symmetrical and well-formed peak has disappeared, and in its place 400m below there is an amphitheater with sheer 600m walls and barren terrain below.

1982 March 29, Mexico, El Chichon volcano

The eruption of the El Chichon volcano occurred in two stages: March 29 and April 3–4, 1982. Initially, volcanic ash filled the atmosphere to a height of approximately 30 km. Then what ended up in the stratosphere (about 10 Mt) began to be transferred to the west. The tropospheric part of the cloud (3–7 Mt) moved in the opposite direction and settled quite quickly on the Earth’s surface. The stratospheric cloud, expanding horizontally, made several distinct revolutions around the Earth. Observations on the Hawaiian Islands showed that by December (compared to June), due to dispersal, the concentration of ash at an altitude of 20 km decreased by 6 times. In temperate latitudes, volcanic ash appeared in November 1982. Signs of increasing turbidity in the Arctic stratosphere appeared only in March 1983. Thus, it took about a year for the pollution to be evenly distributed in the stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere. Subsequently, it gradually decreased over the year by about 3 times.

1985 November 14–16, Colombia, Nevado del Ruiz volcano

The largest eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano occurred in terms of the number of victims and material damage. A column of ash and rock debris rose into the sky to a height of 8 km. Hot gases ejected from the crater of the volcano and gushing lava melted the snow and ice on its top. The resulting mudflow completely destroyed the city of Amero, located 50 km from the volcano. The layer of mud reached 8 m in places. The volcano practically destroyed everything around within a radius of 150 km. About 25 thousand people died, the total number of victims exceeded 200 thousand.

1991 June 10–15, Philippines, Luzon island, Pinatubo volcano

Approximately 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless as a result of numerous eruptions.

On June 10, there was a moderate eruption of Mount Pinatubo, located on the island of Luzon, 88 km from Manila. June 12 at 8 o'clock. 41 min. The volcano exploded, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky. Streams of gas, ash and rocks melted to a temperature of 980°C rushed down the slopes at speeds of up to 100 km/h. For many kilometers around, all the way to Manila, day turned into night. And the cloud and the ash falling from it reached Singapore, which is 2.4 thousand km away from the volcano.

On the night of June 12 and the morning of June 13, the volcano erupted again. And even with more power than before. It threw ash and flames 24 km into the air.

On the morning of June 14, a typhoon hit the east coast of Luzon with wind speeds of 130 km/h, which flooded the area, soaked a layer of ash and turned it into white mud.

The volcano continued to erupt on June 15 and 16. Mud flows and water washed away houses. A layer of ash 20 cm thick, turning into mud, destroyed buildings before our eyes. The slopes of Mount Pinatubo resembled a lunar landscape. In Zambales province, the worst-hit region, everything was covered in 90 centimeters of ash and volcanic debris.

The smallest particles of ejected ash formed a huge cloud that encircled the entire globe along the equator. Its central part contained little ozone, and at its edges there was a lot of sulfur dioxide. The eruption released more than 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. The ash cloud at Mount Pinatubo, like that at Krakatoa in 1883, led to some general drop in temperature as the ash particles formed a screen that blocked sunlight. Space satellites have detected the presence of chlorine compounds and some other harmful gases in the atmosphere in concentrations greater than usual.

1997 June 30, Mexico, Popocatepetl volcano

There was a strong eruption of the Popocatepetl volcano, located 60 km from the capital of Mexico. The column of flame from the volcano's crater reached 18 km in height, and ash rained down on the streets of Mexico City. Almost 40 thousand people were taken from the villages located near the mountain.

2000 March 14, Russia, Kamchatka, Bezymianny volcano

During the volcanic eruption, ash was thrown out with enormous force to a height of up to 5 km above sea level, and the plume of ash clouds stretched in a northwest direction for at least 100 km. The village of Kozyrevsk, located at the foot of the volcano, was almost completely covered with ash, and the smell of sulfur was felt. The last time Bezymyanny erupted was on February 24, 1999, when ash emissions reached a height of 8 km. A similar ashfall was recorded on this volcano only in 1956. The awakened volcano did not pose a danger to the population.

December 2000, Mexico, Popocatepetl volcano

On December 14, the Popocatepetl volcano began to erupt; it spewed hot stones and ash to a height of up to 1 km, the radius of their fall was about 10 km. 14 thousand people were evacuated. According to authorities, the evacuation was announced mainly out of precaution - the wind carried the ash from the volcanic eruption, which locals call El Popo, over a radius of more than 80 km.

On the night of December 18-19, a strong volcanic eruption occurred. Rocks, gas and a column of hot lava flying out of the crater located at an altitude of 5.5 km could be observed from anywhere in Mexico City, located 60 km away. 40 thousand people were urgently evacuated from the vicinity of the volcano.

Most of the volcanoes on our planet are located in the “ring of fire”, which stretches along the shores of the entire Pacific Ocean. There are about 1.5 thousand volcanoes on Earth, of which 540 are active.

Here is a list of the most dangerous of them.

1. Nyiragongo, altitude 3470 m, Democratic Republic of the Congo

This is one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Africa. Since 1882, 34 eruptions have been recorded here. The main crater is 250 meters deep and 2 km wide, and contains a lake of actively bubbling lava. This lava is extremely fluid and its flows can reach speeds of 100 km/h. In 2002, an eruption killed 147 people and left 120,000 people homeless. The last eruption to date occurred in 2016.

2. Taal, height 311 m, Philippines


This is one of the smallest active volcanoes on our planet. It has erupted 34 times since 1572. Located on the island of Luzon, on Taal Lake. The most powerful eruption of this volcano in the 20th century occurred in 1911 - in 10 minutes, 1335 people died and, in general, all living things at a distance of up to 10 km. In 1965, 200 people died. Last eruption - 1977

3. Mauna Loa, height 4,169 m, Hawaii (USA)


There are many volcanoes in Hawaii, but this is the largest and most dangerous of them all. Since 1832, 39 eruptions have been recorded. The last eruption occurred in 1984, the last major eruption in 1950.

4. Vesuvius, height 1,281 m, Italy


One of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world is located just 15 km east of Naples. The most famous historical eruption occurred in 79 AD. As a result of this disaster, two cities - Pompeii and Herculaneum - disappeared from the face of the Earth. In modern history, the last eruption of Vesuvius occurred in 1944.

5. Merapi, altitude 2,930 m, Indonesia


This most active active volcano in Indonesia is located on the island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta. "Merapi" is translated as "mountain of fire." The volcano is young, so it puffs with enviable regularity. Major eruptions occur on average every 7 years. In 1930, about 1,300 people died, in 1974, two villages were destroyed, and in 2010, 353 people died. Last eruption - 2011

6. St. Helens, altitude 2,550 m, USA


Located 154 km from Seattle and 85 km from Portland. This active volcano's most famous eruption occurred in 1980, killing 57 people. The eruption was of a rare type - a “directed explosion”. The process of the volcanic eruption and the spread of the ash cloud was filmed by photographer Robert Landsburg, who died in this eruption, but saved the film. The last activity to date was recorded in 2008.

7. Etna, height 3,350 m, Italy


Volcano Etna is located on the east coast of Sicily. This is the highest active volcano in Europe. Throughout its existence, it has erupted about 200 times. In 1992, one of the largest eruptions was recorded, during which the town of Zafferana barely escaped. On December 3, 2015, the central crater of the volcano ejected a fountain of lava to a kilometer height. The last eruption was February 27, 2017.

8. Sakurajima, height 1,117 m, Japan


The volcano is located on the Osumi Peninsula of Kyushu Island in the Japanese Prefecture of Kagoshima. There is almost always a cloud of smoke above the volcano. Eruptions were recorded on August 18, 2013, in March 2009. The last eruption was recorded on July 26, 2016.

9. Galeras, altitude 4,276 m, Colombia


Over the past 7 thousand years, at least six large eruptions and many small ones have occurred on Galeras. In 1993, six volcanologists and three tourists died while conducting research in the crater (then the eruption also began). Latest recorded eruptions: January 2008, February 2009, January and August 2010

10. Popocatepetl, altitude 5426 m, Mexico


The name translates as "smoking hill". The volcano is located near Mexico City. It has erupted 20 times since 1519. The last eruption was recorded in 2015.

11. Unzen, altitude 1,500 m, Japan


The volcano is located on the Shimabara Peninsula. The eruption of Mount Unzen in 1792 is one of the five most destructive eruptions in human history in terms of the number of casualties. The eruption caused a tsunami 55 meters high, which killed more than 15 thousand people. And in 1991, 43 people died during an eruption. No eruptions have been observed since 1996.

12. Krakatoa, height 813 m, Indonesia


This active volcano is located between the islands of Java and Sumatra. Before the historic eruption of 1883, the volcano was much taller and consisted of one large island. However, a powerful eruption in 1883 destroyed the island and the volcano. Today Krakatoa is still active and small eruptions occur quite regularly. Last activity - 2014.

13. Santa Maria, altitude 3,772 m, Guatemala


The first recorded eruption of this volcano occurred in October 1902, before which it “rested” for 500 years. The explosion was heard 800 km away in Costa Rica, and the ash column rose 28 km. About 6 thousand people died. Today the volcano is active. The last eruption was recorded in 2011.

14. Klyuchevskaya Sopka, height 4835 m, Russia


The volcano is located in the east of Kamchatka, 60 km from the coast. This is the largest active volcano in Russia. Over the past 270 years, more than 50 eruptions have been recorded, the last one in April 2016.

15. Karymskaya Sopka, height 1468 m, Russia


Also located in Kamchatka. Since 1852, more than 20 eruptions have been recorded. Recent eruptions: 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015. A very turbulent volcano.

August 24‑25, 79 AD an eruption occurred that was considered extinct Vesuvius volcano, located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, 16 kilometers east of Naples (Italy). The eruption led to the destruction of four Roman cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontium, Stabia - and several small villages and villas. Pompeii, located 9.5 kilometers from the crater of Vesuvius and 4.5 kilometers from the base of the volcano, was covered with a layer of very small pieces of pumice about 5-7 meters thick and covered with a layer of volcanic ash. With the onset of night, lava flowed from the side of Vesuvius, everywhere fires started, and the ashes made it difficult to breathe. On August 25, along with an earthquake, a tsunami began, the sea retreated from the shores, and a black thundercloud hung over Pompeii and surrounding cities, hiding the Misensky cape and the island of Capri. Most of the population of Pompeii was able to escape, but about two thousand people died on the streets and in the houses of the city from poisonous sulfur dioxide gases. Among the victims was the Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder. Herculaneum, located seven kilometers from the crater of the volcano and about two kilometers from its base, was covered with a layer of volcanic ash, the temperature of which was so high that all wooden objects were completely charred. The ruins of Pompeii were accidentally discovered at the end of the 16th century, but systematic Excavations began only in 1748 and are still ongoing, along with reconstruction and restoration.

March 11, 1669 an eruption occurred Mount Etna in Sicily, which lasted until July of the same year (according to other sources, until November 1669). The eruption was accompanied by numerous earthquakes. Lava fountains along this fissure gradually moved downwards, and the largest cone formed near the city of Nikolosi. This cone is known as Monti Rossi (Red Mountain) and is still clearly visible on the slope of the volcano. Nikolosi and two nearby villages were destroyed on the first day of the eruption. In another three days, lava flowing south down the slope destroyed four more villages. At the end of March, two larger cities were destroyed, and at the beginning of April, lava flows reached the outskirts of Catania. Lava began to accumulate under the fortress walls. Some of it flowed into the harbor and filled it. On April 30, 1669, lava flowed over the top of the fortress walls. The townspeople built additional walls across the main roads. This stopped the advance of the lava, but the western part of the city was destroyed. The total volume of this eruption is estimated at 830 million cubic meters. Lava flows burned 15 villages and part of the city of Catania, completely changing the configuration of the coast. According to some sources, 20 thousand people, according to others - from 60 to 100 thousand.

October 23, 1766 on the island of Luzon (Philippines) began to erupt Mayon volcano. Dozens of villages were swept away and incinerated by a huge lava flow (30 meters wide), which went down the eastern slopes for two days. Following the initial explosion and flow of lava, Mayon Volcano continued to erupt for four more days, releasing large amounts of steam and watery mud. Grayish-brown rivers ranging from 25 to 60 meters wide fell down the slopes of the mountain within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. They completely swept away roads, animals, villages with people on their way (Daraga, Kamalig, Tobaco). More than 2,000 residents died during the eruption. Basically, they were swallowed up by the first lava flow or secondary mud avalanches. For two months, the mountain spewed ash and poured lava onto the surrounding area.

April 5-7, 1815 an eruption occurred Tambora volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Ash, sand and volcanic dust were thrown into the air to a height of 43 kilometers. Stones weighing up to five kilograms were scattered over a distance of up to 40 kilometers. The Tambora eruption affected the islands of Sumbawa, Lombok, Bali, Madura and Java. Subsequently, under a three-meter layer of ash, scientists found traces of the dead kingdoms of Pecat, Sangar and Tambora. Simultaneously with the volcanic eruption, huge tsunamis 3.5-9 meters high were formed. Having flown away from the island, the water fell on neighboring islands and drowned hundreds of people. About 10 thousand people died directly during the eruption. At least 82 thousand more people died from the consequences of the disaster - hunger or disease. The ash that shrouded Sumbawa destroyed crops and buried the irrigation system; acid rain poisoned the water. For three years after Tambora's eruption, the entire globe was enveloped in a shroud of dust and ash particles, reflecting some of the sun's rays and cooling the planet. The next year, 1816, Europeans felt the consequences of a volcanic eruption. It entered the annals of history as “the year without summer.” The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere fell by about one degree, and in some areas even by 3-5 degrees. Large areas of crops suffered from spring and summer frosts on the soil, and famine began in many areas.

August 26-27, 1883 an eruption occurred Krakatoa volcano, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Houses on nearby islands collapsed due to tremors. On August 27, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, a gigantic explosion occurred, an hour later - a second explosion of the same force. More than 18 cubic kilometers of rock debris and ash shot up into the atmosphere. The waves of the tsunami caused by the explosions instantly swallowed up cities, villages, and forests on the coasts of Java and Sumatra. Many islands disappeared under water along with the population. The tsunami was so powerful that it went around almost the entire planet. In total, 295 cities and villages were wiped off the face of the earth on the coasts of Java and Sumatra, over 36 thousand people died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The coasts of Sumatra and Java have changed beyond recognition. On the coast of the Sunda Strait, fertile soil was washed away down to the rocky base. Only a third of the island of Krakatoa survived. In terms of the amount of water and rock moved, the energy of the Krakatoa eruption is equivalent to the explosion of several hydrogen bombs. The strange glow and optical phenomena persisted for several months after the eruption. In some places above the Earth, the sun appeared blue and the moon appeared bright green. And the movement of dust particles ejected by the eruption in the atmosphere allowed scientists to establish the presence of a “jet” stream.

May 8, 1902 Mont Pele volcano, located on Martinique, one of the Caribbean islands, was literally torn to pieces - four strong explosions were heard, similar to cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. Since the emissions did not come through the top of the volcano, but through side craters, all volcanic eruptions of this type have since been called “Peleian”. Superheated volcanic gas, due to its high density and high speed of movement, spread above the ground itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction stretches another 60 square kilometers. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of hot ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry fragments of rocks and volcanic emissions, had a temperature of 700-980 ° C and was able to melt glass. Mont Pele erupted again on May 20, 1902, with almost the same force as on May 8. The Mont Pelee volcano, breaking into pieces, destroyed one of the main ports of Martinique, Saint-Pierre, along with its population. 36 thousand people died instantly, hundreds of people died from side effects. The two survivors became celebrities. Shoemaker Leon Comper Leander managed to escape within the walls of his own house. He miraculously survived, although he received severe burns to his legs. Louis Auguste Cypress, nicknamed Samson, was in a prison cell during the eruption and remained there for four days, despite serious burns. After being rescued, he was pardoned, soon he was hired by the circus and during performances he was shown as the only surviving resident of Saint-Pierre.

June 1, 1912 eruption began Katmai volcano in Alaska, which had been dormant for a long time. On June 4, ash material was ejected, which, mixed with water, formed mud flows; on June 6, an explosion of colossal force occurred, the sound of which was heard in Juneau 1,200 kilometers away and in Dawson 1,040 kilometers from the volcano. Two hours later there was a second explosion of enormous force, and in the evening a third. Then, for several days, there was an almost continuous eruption of colossal amounts of gases and solid products. During the eruption, about 20 cubic kilometers of ash and debris burst out of the volcano. The deposition of this material formed a layer of ash ranging from 25 centimeters to 3 meters thick, and much more near the volcano. The amount of ash was so great that for 60 hours there was complete darkness around the volcano at a distance of 160 kilometers. On June 11, volcanic dust fell in Vancouver and Victoria at a distance of 2200 km from the volcano. In the upper atmosphere it was carried throughout North America and fell in large quantities in the Pacific Ocean. For a whole year, small ash particles moved in the atmosphere. Summer across the planet turned out to be much colder than usual, since more than a quarter of the sun's rays falling on the planet were retained in the ash curtain. In addition, in 1912, amazingly beautiful scarlet dawns were celebrated everywhere. At the site of the crater, a lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed - the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Preserve, formed in 1980.

December 13-28, 1931 an eruption occurred volcano Merapi on the island of Java in Indonesia. Over two weeks, from December 13 to 28, the volcano erupted a stream of lava about seven kilometers long, up to 180 meters wide and up to 30 meters deep. The white-hot stream scorched the earth, burned the trees and destroyed all the villages in its path. In addition, both slopes of the volcano exploded, and erupted volcanic ash covered half of the island of the same name. During this eruption, 1,300 people died. The eruption of Mount Merapi in 1931 was the most destructive, but far from the last.

In 1976, a volcanic eruption killed 28 people and destroyed 300 houses. Significant morphological changes occurring in the volcano caused another disaster. In 1994, the dome that had formed in previous years collapsed, and the resulting massive release of pyroclastic material forced the local population to leave their villages. 43 people died.

In 2010, the number of victims from the central part of the Indonesian island of Java was 304 people. The list of dead included those who died from exacerbations of lung and heart disease and other chronic diseases caused by ash emissions, as well as those who died from injuries.

November 12, 1985 eruption began Ruiz Volcano in Colombia, considered extinct. On November 13, several explosions were heard one after another. The power of the strongest explosion, according to experts, was about 10 megatons. A column of ash and rock debris rose into the sky to a height of eight kilometers. The eruption that began caused the instant melting of the vast glaciers and eternal snows lying on the top of the volcano. The main blow fell on the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers from the mountain, which was destroyed in 10 minutes. Of the 28.7 thousand residents of the city, 21 thousand died. Not only Armero was destroyed, but also a number of villages. Settlements such as Chinchino, Libano, Murillo, Casabianca and others were severely damaged by the eruption. Mudflows damaged oil pipelines and cut off fuel supplies to the southern and western parts of the country. As a result of the sudden melting of the snow lying in the Nevado Ruiz Mountains, nearby rivers overflowed their banks. Powerful flows of water washed away roads, demolished power and telephone poles, and destroyed bridges. According to the official statement of the Colombian government, as a result of the eruption of the Ruiz volcano, 23 thousand people died or went missing, and about five thousand were seriously injured and maimed. About 4,500 residential buildings and administrative buildings were completely destroyed. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless and without any means of subsistence. Colombia's economy suffered significant damage.

June 10-15, 1991 an eruption occurred Volcano Pinatubo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The eruption began quite quickly and was unexpected, since the volcano became active after more than six centuries of hibernation. On June 12, the volcano exploded, throwing a mushroom cloud into the sky. Streams of gas, ash and rocks melted to a temperature of 980°C rushed down the slopes at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. For many kilometers around, all the way to Manila, day turned into night. And the cloud and the ash falling from it reached Singapore, which is 2.4 thousand kilometers away from the volcano. On the night of June 12 and the morning of June 13, the volcano erupted again, throwing ash and flames 24 kilometers into the air. The volcano continued to erupt on June 15 and 16. Mud flows and water washed away houses. As a result of numerous eruptions, approximately 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

According to the most conservative estimates, there are now about 6,000 volcanoes on our planet, most of which are located at the bottom of the World Ocean. How many of them were there in the entire history of the Earth? No one can say this. But there is information about the most terrible volcanic eruptions that led to catastrophic consequences...

On Earth, volcanic eruptions have occurred with a certain periodicity, are occurring and will continue to occur in the future. The earth seems to be trying to demonstrate its power to man, to remind him that it is not to be trifled with.

There are volcanoes in almost all parts of our planet. They can be compared to faucets on the surface of the Earth, which periodically open in order to release the energy accumulated in the depths. Some volcanoes erupt, go out and disappear from the face of the Earth, while others can awaken and erupt again.

A volcanic eruption is a grandiose spectacle that many people strive to capture. Photos and videos of volcanic eruptions are fascinating and frightening at the same time. You can imagine how people felt when they actually found themselves near an awakened volcano! Horror and the hot breath of death.

We present to you interesting historical facts about volcanoes, whose eruptions were the most destructive and terrible in the entire history of human society.

Vesuvius

Vesuvius is located in Italy, near Naples. It has erupted about 90 times throughout history. The most powerful eruption occurred in August 79 AD, when several cities were erased from the earth, including Pompeii.

The erupting Vesuvius threw a huge cloud of ash to a 20-kilometer height, and hot lava poured down, burying city streets, buildings and residents.

Amazing fact. Several years before this fatal eruption, Vesuvius gradually woke up, earthquakes became more frequent, albeit not very strong. But people did not attach any importance to this, and they paid for it.

After this, Vesuvius erupted several times. The most powerful eruption was in 1631. It was 10 times weaker than in 79, but more than 4,000 people died, as there was a high population density on the slopes of the volcano.

And as a result of the eruption of Vesuvius in 1805, 26,000 residents of Naples died.

Since the second half of the last century, Vesuvius has been “silent,” which, according to experts, indicates that the next eruption will be very strong.

Unzen

Unzen is an active volcano located in Japan. The eruption with the greatest human casualties occurred in 1792. The awakened volcano itself did not cause numerous human deaths, but it provoked an earthquake and tsunami with hundred-meter waves that killed 15,000 people.

Unzena has had numerous small eruptions in recent decades, destroying more than two thousand houses.

Interesting fact. When Unzena erupts, there is no hot lava. Streams of stones, ash and volcanic gases heated to 800? C rush down from the slopes of the volcano.

Tambora

Volcano Tambora is located on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia.

It began to awaken in 1812, releasing wisps of smoke from the crater. And on April 5, 1815, the volcano finally woke up and the eruption began. Five days later, the flowing lava covered all the slopes of the volcano. Soon it was joined by high-temperature flows of volcanic gases and stones. All this destructive force rushed down to the sea, sweeping away the villages standing in its path. Within a radius of one hundred kilometers from Tambora, everything was covered with a thick layer of volcanic dust. This dust even reached the island of Borneo, located 750 km from the volcano!

The eruption generated a tsunami. As a result, 90,000 people died, many animals died, and all the vegetation of the island was destroyed.

The eruption of Mount Tambora “backfired” on all of humanity, as a huge amount of sulfur dioxide entered the upper layers of the atmosphere. What led to the climate anomaly.

Krakatoa

Krakatoa is an active volcano on the island of the same name in Indonesia.

On May 20, 1883, smoke began to curl over it, and on August 27, 4 explosions occurred, almost completely destroying the island. Their force was 200 thousand times greater than the explosion in Hiroshima.

The ash cloud rose to a height of 80 kilometers, and hot streams rushed down, falling into the ocean. A tsunami arose, sweeping away everything in its path. Residents of not only this, but also neighboring islands died - more than 40 thousand people.

Mont Pele

Mont Pelée is a volcano on the island of Martinique (France).

A weak eruption occurred in 1851, and then the volcano quieted down for several decades. He began to wake up in the early spring of 1902, but the residents did not pay attention to this, believing that, as before, the volcano would only scare them and fall asleep again. But on May 8 of the same year, Mont Pele emitted a huge cloud of ash and gas.

On the slope, eight kilometers from the volcano, is the port city of Saint-Pierre. When the hot streams of gas and stones rushed down, almost no one was able to escape. Someone tried to take refuge on the ships standing at the pier, but they also burned down.

The city was completely destroyed, more than 30 thousand people died.

Interesting fact. Only two townspeople survived - a prisoner who was sitting in an underground cell, and another townsman who lived on the outskirts.

Nevado del Ruiz

The active volcano Nevado del Ruiz is located in the Andes Mountains in Colombia.

In 1984, the mountains, not far from the volcano, began to “shake,” and in mid-November 1985, Nevado del Ruiz woke up. A column of ash rose to a height of 30 kilometers, and hot streams of stones and gases rushed down, under which glaciers and snow melted. One of the resulting powerful flows of water and mud washed away the town of Armero (more than 20,000 people died there), the second washed away the town of Chinchina (about 2,000 people died). Thousands of Colombians managed to escape, but lost their homes and property - everything burned down. And the hot streams destroyed all the coffee plantations in the area, causing enormous damage to the economy of the country, for which coffee is one of the main sources of income.

It would seem that the volcanic eruption happened in our time, when modern equipment makes it possible to timely track the symptoms of an awakening volcano, but for some reason experts did not consider Nevado del Ruiz dangerous and did not monitor the dynamics of the processes occurring in its depths. Obviously, scientists decided that the volcano, “silent” for almost five centuries, is not dangerous. The result is known.

Toba

Toba is another Indonesian volcano located in Sumatra. This is an extinct volcano with the largest caldera, which now houses the magnificent Lake Toba.

But such an idyllic picture was not always the case. About 75,000 years ago, the Toba volcano began to erupt, and it was the most powerful eruption ever to occur on our planet. Now such volcanoes are called supervolcanoes.

According to scientists, the Toba eruption occurred during the next ice age and led to even greater cooling on Earth, as huge masses of ash blocked access to the sun's rays for many months.

This fact clearly indicates the strength of the eruption. Ash from the volcano was found by experts in Lake Malawi (Africa), located at a distance of 7,000 km.

As a result of this disaster, according to scientists, the population of people and animals has decreased significantly. The so-called “bottleneck effect” has occurred when, due to some global catastrophe, the gene pool of a species is reduced.

El Chichon

El Chichon is a Mexican active volcano.

Its penultimate eruption occurred in 1360, after which El Chichon fell asleep, which lulled the vigilance of both people and scientists. The Mexicans built picturesque villages on the slopes of the volcano with fertile lands, and experts did not monitor the “life activity” of El Chichon at all. But in vain.

In 1982, El Chichon exploded, throwing a column of hot ash to a height of 30 kilometers. Hot lava rushed down at a speed of 100 km/h, burying one village and a thousand of its inhabitants. Then two more explosions occurred, “burying” several more villages with their inhabitants.

As a result, a 300-meter crater was formed, and the entire surface of the earth at a distance of 25,000 km2 was covered with a 40-centimeter layer of ash.

Hot stone blocks thrown out by the volcano destroyed the dam on the river, as a result of which water, strongly heated by the volcano, rushed in different directions, flooding roads, pastures with livestock, coffee and banana plantations and destroying bridges.

The entire atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere “drowned” in this ash. Even in the Arctic there have been changes in the upper atmosphere! Throughout the next year, “ash clouds” were evenly dispersed in the air, while the ozone content in it decreased by 10%. It took about 10 years for the composition of the atmosphere to return to normal.

In total, more than 2,000 people died, and all flora and fauna within a diameter of 10 km from the epicenter of the explosion were destroyed. This figure could have been higher if some people had not managed to leave their homes. It turns out that some Mexicans, noticing weak tremors, decided to play it safe and left their homes, thereby saving their lives.

Those who had not left earlier tried to leave their homes in a hurry. The authorities organized their evacuation, but it went very badly. The situation was also aggravated by the fact that some residents returned to their houses again in order to have time to remove some property. Many of them failed and died.

Lucky

Laki is a volcano in Iceland. This is a 25-kilometer chain of 115 craters.

In 934, a very powerful eruption occurred, after which for many centuries Laki only occasionally slightly reminded of itself. But in 1783 he loudly declared himself again. Several volcanoes from the Laki chain began to erupt at once. Hot lava flows flowed down for eight months, covering almost 600 km2.

The lava melted the ice, and huge masses of water flooded everything around.

Volcanic ash covered almost all of Iceland, and the air was filled with poisonous sulfur oxide and fluorine, which destroyed all life around.

Traces of this ash were observed to varying degrees throughout the year in the atmosphere of Eurasia and North America. This led to a drop in temperature and crop failure.

Ash covered the pastures, which also contributed to the deterioration of the situation. More than half of the animals were destroyed, almost all birds and fish. The disaster led to famine, which killed every fifth resident.

Etna

Etna is an active volcano in Sicily (Italy).

It has a main crater and several hundred side craters, from which lava periodically (every few months) erupts. Once every 100 - 200 years, lava destroys a settlement, but the Italians restore it with manic persistence. Why do they do this? Maybe they have no sense of self-preservation? Not at all. The fact is that the slopes of Etna are very fertile lands that produce excellent harvests. That's why Sicilians take risks, hoping for luck.

In total, Etna erupted more than two hundred times. In 1169, it killed 15,000 people, and the eruption of 1669 completely changed the contours of the island.

In mid-March 1669, Mount Etna woke up, its eruption lasted about six months. The eruption was accompanied by numerous earthquakes. Lava flowed down in a wide stream. In three weeks, she destroyed several towns and all the villages located at the foot of Etna, and reached the fortress walls of Catania, the port city of Sicily. For a time, the walls contained the lava and forced it to flow around them, flowing into the sea. But at the end of April, the lava won - it was able to overcome the fortress walls and poured into the city. All this time, the townspeople tried to build additional defenses, which helped preserve part of Catania. And the rest of the city was buried under thick layers of lava.

As a result, the coastline has undergone changes. Rumor has it that one castle of a very rich citizen, which previously stood on the shore of the bay, turned out to be cut off from the land by lava. After the eruption, it survived, but became an island located 2 km from land.

According to various estimates, as a result, from 20 to 100 thousand people died.

Merapi

Merapi is the most active active volcano on the island of Java, Indonesia.

In 1931 it began to erupt. For two weeks, lava flows buried everything within a distance of seven kilometers. It would seem much worse. But then the volcano was rocked by an explosion that destroyed two of its slopes. Ash covered almost the entire island in a thick layer. More than 1,300 people died.