About 74 thousand years ago, the Toba volcano exploded in what is now Sumatra. This is the largest eruption in at least two million years. It is an order of magnitude larger than the Tambora eruption in the 19th century, which is considered the most powerful in history. modern history humanity. Toba ejected 2,800 cubic kilometers of magma, covered the surrounding area with a multimeter layer of ash, and filled the atmosphere with thousands of tons of sulfuric acid and sulfur dioxide. This event could increase the average annual temperature on the planet by 10 C for an entire decade, and cooling the climate to its previous level could take about a thousand years.
This happened in the Middle Paleolithic era, when the pinnacle of human technology was stone tools and fire production. Therefore, it is easy to explain the widespread belief in the scientific community that this eruption had an extremely serious impact on the human population. However, many evidence suggests that people did not suffer much. And this is one of those mysteries that cannot yet be explained.
Toba's catastrophe theory
As a result of volcanic eruptions, the main influence on the climate is ash and sulfur dioxide gases. This stuff can remain in the atmosphere for years, reflecting sunlight and causing global cooling for tens or hundreds of years. Endless winter, naturally, would have been a real disaster for the then inhabitants of the planet. For comparison, due to the eruption of nearby Tambora, 1816 went down in history as “the year without summer.” There was no harvest all over the world, and famine began in some places. At the same time, only 115 cubic kilometers of magma erupted from Tambora, that is, 25 times less than from Toba.
In the 1990s, a scientist named Stanley Ambrose proposed the “Toba Catastrophe Theory.” In his opinion, the eruption practically destroyed people, reducing their number from one hundred to ten thousand. Africans are more genetically diverse than other races, which means that the rest of humanity at some point in its history experienced the effects of a bottleneck effect - a sharp decline in population that led to a loss of genetic diversity.
According to this theory, the culprits were catastrophic eruption volcano and the subsequent global cooling. The Africans, she argues, were helped by the hot climate of their homeland. All this looks like highest degree logical. But as scientists receive new evidence of the Toba eruption, the situation becomes more and more confusing. At this point in time, there is no consensus on how seriously the volcano has affected the Earth's climate.
Research in recent years
In 2010, researchers created a mathematical model based on the amount of polluting particles emitted into the atmosphere and the solar radiation reflected by them. The simulation showed that Toba's impact on the planet was much milder and less lasting than previously thought - a decrease in temperature of 3-5 degrees for 2-3 years. Naturally, this is a very serious cold snap. A decrease of even 1-2 degrees, as we remember, is already a “year without summer.” But perhaps it was not so terrible as to destroy 90% of the human population.
Later studies showed that sediment samples from Africa's Lake Malawi showed little difference in plant life before and after the eruption. But this should be expected first of all, if we are talking about a winter that lasted a whole decade. Excavations on the coast South Africa did not detect any interruptions or changes in human activity in this area. A thin layer of volcanic glass fragments from the Toba eruption was found here, but the artifacts associated with people were the same before and after this layer.
In this regard, some scientists have suggested that life on a warm coast, rich in resources, contributed to the fact that people did not particularly feel the changes caused by the eruption. However, excavations in India, which is much closer to Toba, also did not record significant changes in the activities of human communities at the time of interest to us.
Man is a very tenacious creature
The volcano probably still had an impact on people - the largest eruption in history is very difficult not to notice. However, it is extremely unlikely that it wiped out 90% of the human population. In connection with the debunking of the Toba catastrophe theory, the question has arisen about what caused the bottleneck effect during the exit of people from Africa. The most accepted explanation today is the so-called “founder effect.” According to this hypothesis, small groups of people migrated from the dark continent, which limited the genetic diversity of their descendants, who subsequently settled throughout the world.
Perhaps the closest parallel to You today is the huge volcano beneath Yellowstone National Park. It had already erupted about two million years ago, and in scale this event was quite comparable to the explosion of Toba. The volume of ejected lava was then 2500 cubic kilometers. In the event of an eruption of this magnitude, people will have a very difficult time - many of the technologies that have appeared over the past several centuries - from agriculture to communications and aviation - will be adversely affected. In some respects, today's humanity is much more sensitive to such phenomena than at the time of the Toba eruption. Fortunately, according to most volcanologists, the likelihood of an eruption at Yellowstone is negligible. In addition, as Toba showed, man is an incredibly tenacious representative of the living world. In this respect, we are hardly inferior to rats and cockroaches.
Today we will talk about the most destructive volcanoes in human history.
The eruption attracts, frightens and fascinates us at the same time. Beauty, entertainment, spontaneity, enormous danger for humans and all living things - all this is inherent in this violent natural phenomenon.
So, let's look at volcanoes, whose eruptions have caused the destruction of vast territories and mass extinctions.
The most famous active volcano is Vesuvius. It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, 15 km from Naples. With a relatively low altitude (1280 meters above sea level) and “youth” (12 thousand years), it is rightfully considered the most recognizable in the world.
Vesuvius is the only one active volcano on the European continent. It poses a great danger due to the dense population near the silent giant. Huge numbers of people are at risk of being buried under thick lava every day.
The last eruption, which managed to wipe out two entire Italian cities from the face of the Earth, happened quite recently, in the midst of World War II. However, the eruption of 1944 in terms of the scale of the catastrophe cannot be compared with the events of August 24, 79 AD. Devastating consequences from that day still boggle our imagination. The eruption lasted more than a day, during which ash and dirt mercilessly destroyed the glorious city of Pompeii.
Until that moment, the local residents had no idea about the impending danger; they were let down by a very familiar attitude towards the formidable Vesuvius, as if it were an ordinary mountain. The volcano gave them fertile soil rich in minerals. Abundant harvests were the reason that the city was quickly populated, developed, gained some prestige and even became a vacation spot for the then aristocracy. Soon a drama theater and one of the largest amphitheaters in Italy were built. Some time later, the region gained fame as the calmest and most prosperous place on the whole Earth. Could people have guessed that this flourishing area would be covered by merciless lava? That the rich potential of this region will never be realized? That all its beauty, improvement, and cultural development will be erased from the face of the Earth?
The first shock, which should have alerted the residents, was a strong earthquake, as a result of which many buildings in Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed. However, people who had arranged their life so well were in no hurry to leave their settled place. Instead, they restored the buildings in an even more luxurious, new style. At times there were minor earthquakes that no one paid attention to. special attention. This was their fatal mistake. Nature itself gave signs of approaching danger. However, nothing disturbed the calm way of life of the inhabitants of Pompeii. And even when on August 24 a frightening roar was heard from the bowels of the earth, the townspeople decided to flee within the walls of their houses. At night the volcano woke up completely. People fled to the sea, but the lava caught up with them near the shore. Soon their fate was decided - almost everyone ended their lives under a thick layer of lava, dirt and ash.
The next day, the elements mercilessly attacked Pompeii. Most of the townspeople, whose number reached 20 thousand, managed to leave the city even before the disaster began, but about 2 thousand still died on the streets. Human. The exact number of victims has not yet been established, since the remains are found outside the city, in the surrounding area.
Let's try to feel the scale of the disaster by turning to the work of the Russian painter Karl Bryullov.
The next major eruption occurred in 1631. It should be noted that a large number of victims were not due to a powerful emission of lava and ash, but due to the high population density. Just imagine, the sad historical experience did not sufficiently impress people - they still densely settled and continue to settle near Vesuvius!
Volcano Santorini
Today, the Greek island of Santorini is a tasty morsel for tourists: white stone houses, cozy atmospheric streets, scenic view. There is only one thing that overshadows the romance - the proximity to the most formidable volcano in the world.
Santorini is an active shield volcano located on the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea. Its strongest eruption was 1645-1600 BC. e. caused the death of Aegean cities and settlements on the islands of Crete, Thira and the coast Mediterranean Sea. The power of the eruption is impressive: it is three times stronger than the Krakatoa eruption and equals seven points!
Of course, such a strong explosion managed not only to reshape the landscape, but also change the climate. Huge cubes of ash thrown into the atmosphere prevented the sun's rays from touching the Earth, which led to global cooling. The fate of the Minoan civilization, the center of which was the island of Thira, is shrouded in mystery. The earthquake warned local residents about the impending disaster, they left in time native land. When a huge amount of ash and pumice came out from the interior of the volcano, the volcanic cone collapsed under the force of its own gravity. Sea water poured into the abyss, which formed a huge tsunami that washed away nearby settlements. There was no more Mount Santorini. A huge oval chasm, the volcanic caldera, was forever filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea.
Recently, researchers found that the volcano has become more active. Almost 14 million cubic meters of magma have accumulated in it - it seems that Sentorini can reassert itself!
Volcano Unzen
The Unzen volcanic complex, which consists of four domes, became a real synonym for disaster for the Japanese. It is located on the Shimabara Peninsula, its height is 1500 m.
In 1792, one of the most destructive eruptions in human history occurred. At one point, a 55-meter tsunami arose, destroying more than 15 thousand inhabitants. Of these, 5 thousand died during the landslide, 5 thousand drowned during the tsunami that hit Higo, 5 thousand - from the wave returning to Shimabara. The tragedy is forever etched in the hearts of the Japanese people. Helplessness in the face of the raging elements, the pain from the loss of a huge number of people was immortalized in numerous monuments that we can see in Japan.
After this terrible event, Unzen fell silent for almost two centuries. But in 1991 another eruption occurred. 43 scientists and journalists were buried under the pyroplastic flow. Since then, the volcano has erupted several times. Currently, although it is considered weakly active, it is under close monitoring by scientists.
Vulkae Tambora
Volcano Tambora is located on the island of Sumbawa. Its eruption in 1815 is rightfully considered the most powerful eruption in human history. It is possible that more powerful eruptions have occurred during the existence of the Earth, but we have no information about this.
So, in 1815, nature went wild in earnest: an eruption occurred with a magnitude of 7 on the scale of eruption intensity (explosive force) of a volcano, the maximum value being 8. The disaster shocked the entire Indonesian archipelago. Just think about it, the energy released during the eruption is equal to the energy of two hundred thousand atomic bombs! 92 thousand people were killed! Places with once fertile soil turned into lifeless space, resulting in a terrible famine. Thus, 48 thousand people died from hunger on the island of Sumbawa, 44 thousand on the island of Lambok, 5 thousand on the island of Bali.
However, the consequences were observed even far from the eruption - the climate of all of Europe underwent changes. The fateful year of 1815 was called “the year without summer”: the temperature became noticeably lower, and in a number of European countries it was not even possible to harvest the harvest.
Volcano Krakatoa
Krakatau is an active volcano in Indonesia, located between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Malay Archipelago in the Sunda Strait. Its height is 813 m.
Before the 1883 eruption, the volcano was much higher and represented one big Island. However, an eruption in 1883 destroyed the island and the volcano. On the morning of August 27, Krakatoa fired four strong shots, each of which resulted in a powerful tsunami. Huge masses of water poured into populated areas with such speed that residents did not have time to climb a nearby hill. The water, sweeping away everything in its path, raked in crowds of frightened people and carried them away, turning the once flourishing lands into a lifeless space full of chaos and death. So, the tsunami caused the death of 90% of those killed! The rest fell to volcanic debris, ash and gas. Total number the victims amounted to 36.5 thousand people.
Most of the island went under water. Ashes captured the whole of Indonesia: the sun was not visible for several days, the islands of Java and Sumatra were covered in pitch darkness. On the other side of the Pacific Ocean the sun has become Blue colour due to the huge amount of ash released during the eruption process. Volcanic debris released into the atmosphere managed to change the color of sunsets around the world for three whole years. They turned bright red and it seemed as if nature itself symbolized human death with this unusual phenomenon.
30 thousand people died as a result of the powerful eruption of the Mont Pelee volcano, which is located in Martinique, the most beautiful island Caribbean Sea. The fire-breathing mountain spared nothing, everything was destroyed, including the nearby elegant, cozy city of Saint-Pierre - the Paris of the West Indies, into the construction of which the French invested all their knowledge and strength.
The volcano began its inactive activity back in 1753. However, rare emissions of gases, flames and the absence of serious explosions gradually established the fame of Mont Pele as a capricious, but by no means formidable volcano. Subsequently, it became only a part of the beautiful natural landscape and served for the residents rather as a decoration of their area. Despite this, when in the spring of 1902, when Mont-Pele began to broadcast danger with tremors and a column of smoke, the townspeople did not hesitate. Sensing trouble, they decided to flee in time: some sought refuge in the mountains, others in the water.
Their determination was seriously affected by the huge number of snakes that slid down the slopes of Mont Pele and filled the entire city. Victims from the bites, then from the boiling lake, which was located not far from the crater, overflowed its banks and poured into the back part of the city in a huge stream - all this convinced residents of the need for urgent evacuation. However, the local government considered these precautions unnecessary. The mayor of the city, extremely concerned about the upcoming elections, was too interested in the turnout of citizens at such an important political event. He took the necessary measures to ensure that the population did not leave the city; he personally persuaded the residents to stay. As a result, most of them did not attempt to escape; those who escaped returned, resuming their usual way of life.
On the morning of May 8, a deafening roar was heard, a huge cloud of ash and gases flew out of the crater, instantly descended along the slopes of Mont Pele and... swept away everything in its path. In one minute this amazing, thriving town was completely destroyed. Factories, houses, trees, people - everything was melted, torn out, poisoned, burned, tormented. It is believed that the death of the unfortunates occurred in the first three minutes. Of the 30 thousand inhabitants, only two were lucky enough to survive.
On May 20, the volcano exploded again with the same force, which led to the death of 2 thousand rescuers who were raking the ruins of the destroyed city at that moment. On August 30, a third explosion occurred, leading to the death of thousands of residents of nearby villages. Mont Pele erupted several more times until 1905, after which it went dormant until 1929, when quite a few powerful eruption, however, did not bring casualties.
Nowadays, the volcano is considered inactive, Saint-Pierre is being restored, but after these terrible events it has little chance of regaining the status of the most beautiful city Martinique.
Volcano Nevado Del Ruiz
Due to its impressive height (5400m), Nevado del Ruiz is rightfully considered the highest active volcano in the Andes mountain range. Its top is shrouded in ice and snow - that is why its name is “Nevado”, which means “snowy”. It is located in the volcanic zone of Colombia - the Caldas and Tolima regions.
Nevado del Ruiz is one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world for a reason. Eruptions leading to mass death have occurred three times already. In 1595, over 600 people were buried under the ashes. In 1845, a strong earthquake killed 1 thousand inhabitants.
And finally, in 1985, when the volcano was already considered dormant, 23 thousand people died. It should be noted that the cause of the latest disaster was the outrageous negligence of the authorities, who did not consider it necessary to monitor volcanic activity. At the moment, 500 thousand residents of nearby areas are at risk of becoming victims of a new eruption every day.
So, in 1985, the crater of the volcano ejected powerful gas-pyroclastic flows. Because of them, the ice at the top melted, which led to the formation of lahars - volcanic flows that instantly moved down the slopes. This avalanche of water, clay, and pumice destroyed everything in its path. Destroying rocks, soil, plants and absorbing it all, the lahars quadrupled during the journey!
The thickness of the streams was 5 meters. One of them destroyed the city of Armero in an instant; out of 29 thousand inhabitants, 23 thousand died! Many of the survivors died in hospitals as a result of infection, epidemic typhus and yellow fever. Among all the volcanic disasters known to us, Nevado del Ruiz ranks fourth in terms of the number of human deaths. Devastation, chaos, disfigured human bodies, screams and moans - this is what appeared before the eyes of the rescuers who arrived the next day.
To understand the horror of the tragedy, let's take a look at the now famous photograph of journalist Frank Fournier. It shows 13-year-old Omaira Sanchez, who, finding herself among the rubble of buildings and unable to get out, bravely fought for her life for three days, but could not win this unequal battle. You can imagine how many lives of such children, teenagers, women, and old people were taken by the raging elements.
Toba is located on the island of Sumatra. Its height is 2157 m, it has the largest caldera in the world (area 1775 sq. km.), in which it formed largest lake of volcanic origin.
Toba is interesting because it is a supervolcano, i.e. From the outside it is practically invisible; it can only be seen from space. We can remain on the surface of this kind of volcano for thousands of years, and only learn about its existence at the moment of a catastrophe. It is worth noting that while an ordinary fire-breathing mountain has an eruption, such a supervolcano has an explosion.
What happened during the last ice age The eruption of Toba is considered one of the most powerful during the existence of our planet. 2800 km³ of magma came out of the volcano’s caldera, and the ash deposits that covered South Asia, Indian Ocean, Arabian and South China Seas, reached 800 km³. Thousands of years later, scientists discovered the smallest ash particles 7 thousand km away. from a volcano on the territory of the African Lake Nyasa.
As a result of the huge amount of ash emitted by the volcano, the sun was obscured. A real volcanic winter set in, lasting several years.
The number of people decreased sharply - only a few thousand people managed to survive! It is with the Toba explosion that the “bottleneck” effect is associated - a theory according to which in ancient times the human population was distinguished by genetic diversity, but most of the people suddenly died out as a result of a natural disaster, thus reducing the gene pool.
El Chichon is the southernmost volcano in Mexico, located in the state of Chiapas. Its age is 220 thousand years.
It is noteworthy that until recently local residents were not at all worried about the proximity to the volcano. The issue of security was also not relevant because the areas adjacent to the volcano were rich in dense forests, which indicated the long-term hibernation of El Chichon. However, on March 28, 1982, after 12 hundred years of peaceful sleep, the fire-breathing mountain demonstrated its full destructive power. The first stage of the eruption entailed a powerful explosion, as a result of which a huge ash column (height - 27 km) formed over the crater, which covered an area within a radius of 100 km in less than an hour.
A huge amount of tephra was released into the atmosphere, and heavy ashfalls occurred around the volcano. About 2 thousand people died. It should be noted that the evacuation of the population was poorly organized and the process was slow. Many residents left the territory, but after a while they returned, which, of course, led to dire consequences for them.
In May of the same year, the next eruption occurred, which was even more powerful and destructive than the previous one. The convergence of the pyroclastic flow left a scorched strip of land and a thousand human deaths.
The disaster was not going to stop there. Local residents suffered two more Plinian eruptions, which generated a 29-kilometer column of ash. The number of victims again reached a thousand people.
The consequences of the eruption affected the country's climate. A huge cloud of ash covered 240 square km; in the capital, visibility was only a few meters. Due to ash particles hanging in the layers of the stratosphere, a noticeable cooling occurred.
In addition, the natural balance has been disrupted. Many birds and animals were destroyed. Some types of insects began to grow rapidly, which resulted in the destruction of most of the crop.
The shield volcano Laki is located in the south of Iceland in the Skaftafell Park (since 2008 it has been part of the Vatnajökull National Park). The volcano is also called the Laki crater, because. it is part of a mountain system consisting of 115 craters.
In 1783, one of the most powerful eruptions occurred, which set a world record for the number of human casualties! In Iceland alone, almost 20 thousand lives were lost – that’s one third of the population. However, the volcano carried its destructive impact beyond the borders of its country - death even reached Africa. There are many destructive, deadly volcanoes on Earth, but Lucky is the only one of his kind who killed slowly, gradually, in various ways.
The most interesting thing is that the volcano warned residents about the upcoming danger as best it could. Seismic displacements, uplifting land, raging geysers, explosions of pillars into the air, whirlpools, boiling of the sea - there were plenty of signs of an imminent eruption. For several weeks in a row, the land literally shook under the feet of the Icelanders, which, of course, scared them, but no one attempted to escape. People were confident that their homes were strong enough to protect them from the eruption. They hunkered down at home, tightly locking the windows and doors.
In January, the formidable neighbor made himself known. He raged until June. During these six months of eruptions, Mount Skaptar-Ekul split open and a huge 24-meter chasm formed. Harmful gases came out and formed a powerful lava flow. Imagine how many such flows there were - hundreds of craters erupted! When the flows reached the sea, the lava solidified, but the water boiled, and all the fish within a radius of several kilometers from the shore died.
Sulfur dioxide covered the entire territory of Iceland, which led to acid rain and destruction of vegetation. As a result Agriculture suffered significantly, hunger and disease struck the surviving inhabitants.
Soon “Hungry Haze” reached all of Europe, and a few years later to China. The climate changed, dust particles did not allow the rays of the sun to pass through, summer never came. Temperatures dropped by 1.3 ºC, leading to cold-related deaths, crop failure and famine in many European countries. The eruption even left its mark on Africa. Due to the abnormal cold, the temperature contrast was minimal, which led to a decrease in monsoon activity, drought, shallowing of the Nile, and crop failure. Africans died en masse from starvation.
Volcano Etna
Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and one of the largest volcanoes in the world. It is located on the east coast of Sicily, near the cities of Messina and Catania. Its circumference is 140 km and covers an area of approximately 1.4 thousand square meters. km.
There have been approximately 140 powerful eruptions of this volcano in modern times. In 1669 Catania was destroyed. In 1893, the Silvestri crater appeared. In 1911 a northeastern crater formed. In 1992 a huge lava flow stopped near Zafferana Etnea. The last time the volcano erupted lava was in 2001, destroying the cable car leading to the crater.
Currently, the volcano is a popular place for hiking and skiing. Several half-empty towns are located at the foot of the fire-breathing mountain, but few dare to risk living there. Here and there, gases escape from the depths of the earth; it is impossible to predict when, where and with what power the next eruption will occur.
Volcano Merapi
Marapi is the most active active volcano in Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta. Its height is 2914 meters. This is a relatively young, but quite restless volcano: since 1548 it has erupted 68 times!
The close proximity to such an active fire-breathing mountain is very dangerous. But, as usually happens in economically undeveloped countries, local residents, without thinking about the risk, appreciate the benefit that gives them rich in minerals soil - abundant harvests. Thus, about 1.5 million people currently live near Marapi.
Strong eruptions occur every 7 years, smaller ones every couple of years, and the volcano smokes almost daily. Disaster of 1006 The Javanese-Indian kingdom of Mataram was completely destroyed. In 1673 One of the most powerful eruptions occurred, as a result of which several cities and villages were wiped off the face of the Earth. There were nine eruptions in the 19th century, 13 in the last century.
On August 24, 79, the most famous volcanic eruption in history occurred - the eruption of Vesuvius. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae were buried under volcanic ash. Ashes from Vesuvius reached Egypt and Syria. We decided to make a selection of several world-famous volcanic eruptions.
1. One of the largest eruptions in modern history occurred on April 5–7, 1815 in Indonesia. Volcano Tambora erupted on the island of Sumbawa. Humanity remembers this volcanic eruption because of the large number of victims. During the disaster itself and subsequently, 92 thousand people died from hunger. The ash clouds from the Tambora eruption blocked the sun's rays for so long that it even caused the temperature over the area to drop.
2. 27 thousand years ago the Taupo volcano in New Zealand erupted. It remains the largest volcanic eruption in the last 70 thousand years. During it, about 530 km³ of magma was erupted from the mountain. After the eruption, a giant caldera was formed, which is now partially filled by Lake Taupo, one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.
3. On August 27, 1883, the Krakatoa volcano began to erupt between the islands of Java and Sumatra. This eruption is known for the largest volcanic explosion in history. The tsunami caused by this explosion covered 163 villages. More than 36 thousand people died. The roar from the colossal force of the explosion could be heard by 8 percent of the world's population, and pieces of lava were thrown up to a height of 55 kilometers. Volcanic ash, which was carried by the wind, fell 10 days later 5 thousand kilometers from the eruption site.
4. After the eruption of the Santorini volcano in Greece, the Cretan civilization perished. This happened around 1450 BC on the island of Thera. There is a version that Fera is Atlantis, which Plato described. According to another version pillar of fire, which Moses saw is the eruption of Santorini, and the parting of the sea is a consequence of the immersion of the island of Thera in water.
5. Volcano Etna, in Sicily, according to some sources, has already erupted more than 200 times. In one of them, in 1169, 15 thousand people died. Etna is a still active volcano that erupts approximately once every 150 years. But the Sicilians still continue to settle on the mountainside because the solidified lava makes the soil fertile. During the eruption that occurred in 1928, a miracle occurred. The lava stopped right in front of the Catholic procession. A chapel was built on this site. Lava from the eruption, which occurred 30 years after construction, also stopped in front of it.
6. In 1902, the Montagne Pelee volcano erupted on the island of Martinique. On May 8, a cloud of hot lava, vapors and gases covered the city of Saint-Pierre. The city was destroyed in a few minutes. Of the 28 thousand residents in the city, two were saved, including Opostos Siparis, who was sentenced to death. He was saved by the walls of the death row. The governor pardoned Siparis and for the rest of his life he traveled around the world, talking about what happened.
7. The city of Armero in Colombia was destroyed in ten minutes after the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano on November 13, 1985. This city was located 50 kilometers from the eruption site. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants, only 7 thousand remained alive after the eruption. Could have survived a lot more people, if only they had listened to the volcanologists who warned of disaster. But no one believed the experts that day, since their forecasts turned out to be wrong several times.
8. On June 12, 1991, the Pinatubo volcano, which had been dormant for 611 years, came to life in the Philippines. 875 people died in the disaster. Also destroyed during the eruption was an Air Force base and a US Naval base. The eruption resulted in a drop in temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius and a reduction in the ozone layer, specifically the formation of an ozone hole over Antarctica.
9. In 1912, on June 6, one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century occurred. Katmai volcano erupted in Alaska. The ash column from the eruption rose 20 kilometers. A lake formed on the site of the crater from the volcano - the main attraction National Park Katmai.
10 . Eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. Dense clouds of volcanic ash shrouded some parts rural areas Iceland, and an invisible plume of sand and dust covered Europe, “clearing” the skies of planes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to rush to look for hotel rooms, train tickets and hire a taxi.
11 . Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Russia. This volcano has erupted about 20 times. In 1994, another eruption began, when a powerful eruptive column loaded with ash rose from the summit crater to an absolute height of 12-13 km. Fountains of hot bombs flew up 2-2.5 km above the crater, the maximum size of the debris reached 1.5-2 m in diameter. A thick dark plume loaded with volcanic products extended to the southeast. Powerful mud flows traveled 25 - 30 km along already developed channels and reached the river. Kamchatka
According to rough estimates, there are about 6,000 volcanoes on Earth. They are found in almost all parts of the planet, but most of them are hidden in the depths of the World Ocean. Some of them erupt and disappear from the face of the planet, others can manifest their activity again. But at the same time, the most famous volcanic eruptions in the history of mankind are highlighted, which led to catastrophic consequences: they changed the climate, caused the appearance of ozone holes and the death of cities and even civilizations.
Vesuvius (79)
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD. e. considered one of the most famous in human history. Every second, millions of tons of hot mud, smoke and ash erupted from the crater, rising up to 20 km, and their particles were found in Egypt and Syria. Volcanic flows completely buried 4 cities: Oplontis, Herculaneum, Stabia and Pompeii.
For some time, a catastrophe of incredible proportions was considered an invention of Pliny the Younger, until in 1763 the results of excavations proved the existence and death of the famous city of Pompeii under tons of volcanic ash. According to various sources, from 6,000 to 25,000 Romans died as a result of the cataclysm.
Interesting! Last time Vesuvius erupted during World War II in 1944, which caused the almost complete disappearance of two cities from the face of the planet. A long period of hibernation, according to some scientists, is a sign that the next eruption could be incredibly strong.
Lucky (1783)
In July 1783, the Laki volcano, located in the south of Iceland, awakened, which is also called simply the crater, since it belongs to a mountain system with a length of 25 km with more than 100 craters. Famous eruption, which lasted about 8 months, was accompanied by the release of about 15 cubic meters to the surface. km. lava. The lava flow, considered the longest in the world, reached a length of more than 65 km and flooded 565 km² of the island.
The most amazing thing is that Lucky “warned” the population with all possible ways: unusual activity of geysers, seismic tremors, boiling water and whirlpools. But people were confident that their homes would protect them from the elements and made no attempts to evacuate.
Volcanic ash and toxic gases destroyed crops, pastures and most livestock, leading to famine and the subsequent death of about 10,000 people. It is with the clouds of toxic smoke that the most dangerous consequences of Lucky’s activity are associated, which reached all the way to China and the African continent. They caused acid rain, and the high concentration of dust particles, which did not allow the sun's rays to pass through, contributed to a decrease in temperature. As a result, agriculture suffered significantly, and people were hit by hunger and widespread disease.
Unzen (1792)
On the Japanese island of Shimabara there is a still active Unzen volcano. Its activity has been observed since 1663, but the largest eruption occurred in 1792. A landslide caused by rock movements claimed the lives of 5,000 residents of the island of Kyushu.
Due to the tremors caused by the explosion, a 23-meter tsunami was formed, which washed over the coastal areas Japanese islands and killed another 10,000 people. The tragedy associated with the raging disaster is forever immortalized in numerous monuments located throughout Japan.
A distinctive feature of Unzen is the complete absence of hot lava. Volcanic flows consist only of ash, rocks and gases with a temperature of about 800°C. During last decades Many small explosions were recorded, resulting in the destruction of more than 2,000 buildings.
Nevado del Ruiz (1985)
Seismic activity and small emissions of ash and sulfur were recorded here in the previous 1984, but even on the day of the disaster, the authorities advised the local population not to panic, as it turned out in vain. The volcano, located in the Colombian Andes, erupted on November 13, 1985.
In itself it is not the largest. But hot volcanic flows contributed to the melting of the mountain glaciers covering Nevado del Ruiz and the formation of lahars. The latter are streams mixed from ash, mud, water and rocks that move at speeds of up to 60 km/h.
One of these flows practically destroyed the city of Armero: out of 29,000 inhabitants, 23,000 people immediately died. About 5,000 more were seriously injured or died later from typhoid and yellow fever epidemics. Another lahar destroyed the city of Chinchina and caused the death of 1,800 people. In addition, coffee plantations suffered from Nevado del Ruiz: it destroyed the coffee trees themselves and the bulk of the harvest, which caused irreparable damage to the economy.
Mont Pele (1902)
In 1902, one of the largest eruptions in the history of the 20th century occurred in the Caribbean Sea. The volcano on the island of Martinique “awakened” back in April, as evidenced by tremors and roars, and on May 8 an explosion occurred, accompanied by clouds of smoke, ash and flows of hot lava. The hot stream in a matter of minutes destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre, located 8 km from the foot of Mont Pelée.
In addition, hot volcanic gases turned out to be deadly, causing fires throughout the city, poisoning people and killing animals. Of the almost 30,000 inhabitants, only 2 people survived: a shoemaker who lived on the outskirts of the city and a criminal sentenced to death, imprisoned in an underground cell. The latter, after being rescued, was pardoned and invited to work in the circus, where he was demonstrated as the only surviving resident of Saint-Pierre.
A little later, 2 more explosions occurred, which also did not result in casualties. On May 20, 2,000 rescuers were killed while clearing the ruins of Saint-Pierre, and the eruption on August 30 killed another 1,000 people from nearby villages. Now Saint-Pierre has been partially restored, and at the foot of Mont Pele, which is considered no longer active, a museum of volcanology has been organized.
Krakatoa (1883)
On August 27, 1883, 4 explosions occurred on Krakatoa, which is located near the islands of Java and Sumatra, which led to the destruction of the island where the volcano itself was located. According to scientists, their power was 200 megatons (10,000 times more than the bombs in Hiroshima), the sound of the big bang was heard as far as Sri Lanka and Australia at a distance of about 4000 km, which is probably the loudest sound in the entire history of the planet.
The fragments from the volcanic eruption scattered over a distance of up to 500 km, and 150 km from the site of the disaster, an air wave tore off doors along with hinges and roofs from houses. According to various estimates, the blast wave circled the planet from 7 to 11 times.
Of the 36,000 (according to other sources, their number was 120,000) victims, most suffered from a tsunami up to 30 m high caused by volcanic activity. Giant wave led to the death of residents of nearby islands and the destruction of 295 villages and towns. The rest died under the rubble of volcanic debris and debris. Hundreds of thousands more lost their homes.
The disaster that happened on Krakatoa caused climate change: the average annual temperature decreased by more than 1°C and returned to its previous level only after 5 years.
Interesting fact! In different places on Earth, several months after the events on Krakatoa, an unusual glow and unusual optical phenomena were recorded. For example, the Moon looked bright green and the Sun looked blue.
Tambora (1815)
The eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora from the island of Sumbawa is considered by scientists to be the most powerful in the history of mankind. It began to erupt on April 10, 1815, and just a few hours later the island, with an area of more than 15,000 km, was covered with ash 1.5 m thick. Columns of ash and smoke rose to a height of up to 43 km and, according to eyewitnesses, caused round-the-clock pitch darkness in a radius of up to 600 km.
In addition to the “traditional” explosion, a unique phenomenon soon arose: a fiery whirlwind that swept away everything in its path. After 5 days, another tsunami formed, which claimed the lives of 4,500 people. The total number of victims from Tambor's direct action, as well as subsequent famine and disease, reaches 70,000.
As a result of the explosion, the content of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere increased, which caused climate change. So, the next year, 2016, is often called “the year without summer.” In Europe, North America and certain areas of Asia experienced unusually low temperatures, endless rains and hurricanes, which caused disastrous crop failures and epidemics.
Santorini (1450 BC)
The Greek island of Santorini today attracts many tourists, for whom the proximity to the Santorini volcano of the same name may be a threat. His Last Activity was noted in 1950, but the most significant and powerful eruption in history occurred around 1450 BC. e.
Because the events were so long ago, it is impossible to determine the exact number of victims, but it is known that the explosion of the volcano caused the death of the entire Minoan civilization with central island Thira (or Fira). The explosion generated a tsunami, the height of which was different sources indicated from 15 to 100 m, and speed – up to 200 km/h.
Among scientists there are versions that it was the island of Fira, destroyed by Santorini, that was the very legendary Atlantis described by Plato. In addition, some stories from the Old Testament are associated with his activity: for example, the sea that parted before Moses could have been a consequence of the island sinking under water, and the pillar of fire he saw could have been directly caused by the eruption of Santorini.
But even the largest volcanic eruptions known to scientists in the history of mankind cannot be compared with those that occur on other objects solar system. For example, on Jupiter’s moon Io in 2001, a volcanic explosion was recorded with a power 10,000 times greater than the largest explosions on our planet.
The most powerful volcanic eruptions
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