10 largest volcanic eruptions in history
I would like to present to your attention the 10 largest volcanic eruptions, which were recorded and assessed by a special scale - the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI).
This scale was developed in the 80s, it includes many factors, such as the volume of the eruption, speed and others. The scale includes 8 levels, each of which is 10 times greater than the previous one, that is, a level 3 eruption is 10 times stronger than a level 2 eruption.
Last eruption Level 8 took place on earth more than 10,000 years ago, but throughout the history of mankind there were still powerful emissions. I offer you the TOP 10 most large eruptions volcanoes over the last 4000 years.
1. Huaynaputina, Peru, 1600, VEI 6
This volcano created the most major eruption V South America throughout the history of mankind. The instantaneous release instantly created several mudflows that headed towards the Pacific coast. Due to the ash thrown into the air, summers in South America were one of the coldest in half a millennium. The eruption destroyed nearby cities, which were rebuilt only a century later.
2. Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia, 1883, VEI 6
All summer, a powerful roar inside the mountain foreshadowed the eruption that occurred on April 26-27. During the eruption, the volcano ejected tons of ash, rock and lava; the mountain was heard thousands of kilometers away. In addition, a sharp shock created a forty-meter wave; even on another continent, increases in waves were recorded. The eruption killed 34,000 people.
3. Volcano Santa Maria, Guatemala 1902, VEI 6
The eruption of this volcano was one of the largest in the 20th century. A sharp shock from a volcano that had been dormant for 500 years created a crater one and a half kilometers wide. The volcano claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
4. Novarupta Volcano, Alaska Peninsula, June 1912, VEI 6
This volcano is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and had the largest eruption of the 20th century. The powerful explosion sent 12.5 cubic kilometers of ash and magma into the air.
5. Volcano Pinatubo, Luzon, Philippines, 1991, VEI 6
The eruption released so much ash that the roofs of nearby houses collapsed under its weight. In addition to ash, the volcano released other substances into the air, which reduced the temperature of the planet by half a degree for a year.
6. Ambrym Island, Republic of Vanuatu, 50 AD, VEI 6 +
One of the largest eruptions in history occurred on this small island. To this day, this volcano remains one of the most active in the world. The eruption formed calderas 12 km wide.
7. Volcano Ilopango, El Salvador, 450 AD, VEI 6 +
Although this mountain is located only a few miles from the capital, San Salvador, it has created an incredible eruption in the past. It destroyed all Mayan settlements and covered a third of the country with ash. Trade routes were destroyed, and the entire civilization was forced to move to the lowlands. Now in the crater there is one of the most large lakes El Salvador.
8. Mount Thera, Greece, circa 1610 BC, VEI 7
Archaeologists believe that the force of the eruption of this volcano is comparable to several hundred nuclear bombs. If there were residents here, they either ran away or died under force majeure. The volcano not only raised huge Tsunamis and lowered the temperature of the planet with huge clouds of sulfur, but also changed the climate as a whole.
9. Changbai Volcano, border of China and Korea, 1000 AD, VEI 7
The eruption was so strong that there was ash deposits even in northern Japan. Over the course of a thousand years, huge craters have turned into lakes that are popular with tourists. Scientists suggest that still unexplored creatures live in the depths of the lakes.
10. Mount Tambora, Sumbawa Islands, Indonesia, 1815, VEI 7
The eruption of Mount Tambora is the most powerful in the history of mankind. The mountain roared so loudly that it was heard 1,200 miles away. In total, about 71,000 people died, and ash clouds covered many hundreds of kilometers around.
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 modern history humanity. Toba ejected 2,800 cubic kilometers of magma, covered the surrounding area with a multi-meter 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 rubbish can remain in the atmosphere for years, reflecting sunlight and provoking global cooling for tens and 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 a catastrophic volcanic eruption 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. IN at the moment There is no consensus yet about 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.
Some scientists have suggested that living on a warm, resource-rich coast meant that people did not notice much of 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 influenced 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 few centuries will be adversely affected - from agriculture to communications and aviation. 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 in Yellowstone is negligible. In addition, as Toba showed, humans are incredibly resilient members of the living world. In this respect, we are hardly inferior to rats and cockroaches.
10 largest and most dangerous volcanoes on Earth.
A volcano is a geological formation that arose due to the movement of tectonic plates, their collision and the formation of faults. As a result of collisions between tectonic plates, faults form and magma comes to the surface of the Earth. As a rule, volcanoes are a mountain at the end of which there is a crater, which is where lava comes out.
Volcanoes are divided into:
- active;
- sleeping;
- extinct;
Active volcanoes are those that erupted in the near future (approximately 12,000 years)
Dormant volcanoes are volcanoes that have not erupted in the near future, but their eruption is practically possible.
Extinct volcanoes include those that have not erupted in the near historical future, but the top has the shape of a crater, but such volcanoes are unlikely to erupt.
List of the 10 most dangerous volcanoes on the planet:
1. (Hawaii Islands, USA)
Located in the islands of Hawaii, it is one of the five volcanoes that make up the islands of Hawaii. It is the largest volcano in the world in terms of volume. It contains more than 32 cubic kilometers of magma.
The volcano was formed about 700,000 years ago.
The volcano's last eruption occurred in March 1984, and it lasted for more than 24 days, causing enormous damage to people and the surrounding area.
2. Taal Volcano (Philippines)
The volcano is located on the island of Luzon, part of the Philippine Islands. The crater of the volcano rises 350 meters above the surface of Lake Taal and is located almost in the center of the lake.
The peculiarity of this volcano is that it is located in the crater of a very old extinct mega volcano, now this crater is filled with lake water.
In 1911, the most powerful eruption of this volcano occurred - then 1335 people died, within 10 minutes all life around the volcano died at a distance of 10 km.
The last eruption of this volcano was observed in 1965, which resulted in 200 casualties.
3. Volcano Merapi (Java Island)
The name of the volcano is literally Mountain of Fire. The volcano has been erupting systematically for the last 10,000 years. The volcano is located near the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the city's population is several thousand people.
It was the most active volcano among 130 volcanoes in Indonesia. The eruption of this volcano was believed to have led to the decline of the Hindu Kingdom of Matarama. The peculiarity and horror of this volcano is the speed of spread of magma, which is more than 150 km/hour. The volcano's last eruption occurred in 2006 and claimed 130 lives and made more than 300,000 people homeless.
4. Volcano Santa Maria (Guatemala)
This is one of the most active volcanoes of the 20th century.
It is located at a distance of 130 kilometers from the city of Guatemala, and is located in the so-called Pacific. Ring of Fire. The Santa Maria crater was formed after its eruption in 1902. About 6,000 people died then. The last eruption occurred in March 2011.
5. Ulawun Volcano (Papua - New Guinea)
The Ulawun volcano, located in the New Guinea region, began erupting at the beginning of the 18th century. Since then, eruptions have been recorded 22 times.
In 1980, the largest volcanic eruption occurred. The ejected ash covered an area of more than 20 square kilometers.
Now this volcano is the highest peak in the region.
The last volcanic eruption occurred in 2010.
6. Galeras Volcano (Colombia)
The Galeras Volcano is located near the border of Ecuador in Colombia. One of the most active volcanoes in Colombia, it has erupted systematically over the past 1000 years.
The first documented volcanic eruption occurred in 1580. This volcano is considered the most dangerous because of its sudden eruptions. Along the eastern slope of the volcano is the city of Paphos (Pasto). Paphos is home to 450,000 people.
In 1993, six seismologists and three tourists died during a volcanic eruption.
Since then, the volcano has erupted every year, claiming thousands of lives and making many people homeless. The last volcanic eruption occurred in January 2010.
7. Sakurajima Volcano (Japan)
Until 1914, this volcanic mountain was located on a separate island in close proximity to Kyushu. After the volcano erupted in 1914, a lava flow connected the mountain to the Ozumi Peninsula (Japan). The volcano was named Vesuvius of the East.
He serves as a threat to the 700,000 people of Kagoshima City.
Since 1955, eruptions have occurred every year.
The government even built a refugee camp for the people of Kagoshima so they could find shelter during the volcanic eruption.
The last eruption of the volcano occurred on August 18, 2013.
8. Nyiragongo (DR Congo)
It is one of the most active, active volcanoes in the African region. The volcano is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The volcano has been monitored since 1882. Since the start of observations, 34 eruptions have been recorded.
A crater in the mountain serves as a holder for magma fluid. A major eruption occurred in 1977, neighboring villages were burned by streams of hot lava. Average speed The lava flow was 60 kilometers per hour. Hundreds of people died. The most recent eruption occurred in 2002, leaving 120,000 people homeless.
This volcano is a caldera, a formation of a pronounced round shape with a flat bottom.
The volcano is located in Yellow national park United States.
This volcano has not erupted for 640,000 years.
The question arises: How can it be an active volcano?
There are claims that 640,000 years ago, this super volcano erupted.
This eruption changed the terrain and covered half of the United States in ash.
By different estimates The volcanic eruption cycle is 700,000 - 600,000 years. Scientists expect this volcano to erupt at any time.
This volcano could destroy life on Earth.
Volcanoes have always been dangerous. Some of them are located on the seabed and when lava erupts, they do not cause much damage to the surrounding world. Much more dangerous are similar geological formations on land, near which large settlements and cities are located. We offer for review a list of the deadliest volcanic eruptions.
79 AD. Volcano Vesuvius. 16,000 dead.
During the eruption, a deadly column of ash, dirt and smoke rose from the volcano to a height of 20 kilometers. The spewing ash even reached Egypt and Syria. Every second, millions of tons of molten rock and pumice came out of the Vesuvius vent. A day after the start of the eruption, streams of hot mud mixed with stones and ash began to flow. Pyroclastic flows completely buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In some places the thickness of the avalanche exceeded 8 meters. The death toll is estimated at at least 16,000.
Painting "The Last Day of Pompeii". Karl Bryulov
The eruption was preceded by a series of tremors with a magnitude of 5.0, but no one responded to natural warnings, since earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in this place.
Last eruption Vesuvius recorded in 1944, after which it died down. Scientists suggest that the longer the volcano’s “hibernation” lasts, the stronger its next eruption will be.
1792 Volcano Unzen. About 15,000 dead.
The volcano is located on the Japanese Shimabara Peninsula. Activity Unzen has been recorded since 1663, but the most powerful eruption was in 1792. After the volcanic eruption, a series of tremors followed, which caused a powerful tsunami. A deadly 23-meter wave hit the coastal area Japanese Islands. The number of victims exceeded 15,000 people.
In 1991, at the foot of Unzen, 43 journalists and scientists were killed by lava as it rolled down the slope.
1815 Volcano Tambora. 71,000 victims.
This eruption is considered the most powerful in the history of mankind. On April 5, 1815, the geological activity of the volcano, located on the Indonesian island, began Sumbawa. The total volume of erupted material is estimated at 160-180 cubic kilometers. A powerful avalanche of hot rocks, mud and ash rushed to the sea, covering the island and sweeping away everything in its path - trees, houses, people and animals.
All that remains of the Tambora volcano is a huge caledera.
The roar of the explosion was so strong that it was heard on the island of Sumatra, which was located 2000 kilometers from the epicenter; the ashes reached the islands of Java, Kilimantan, and Moluccas.
An artist's impression of the eruption of Mount Tambora. Unfortunately, the author could not be found
Release of a huge amount sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere caused global climate changes, including the phenomenon of “volcanic winter”. The following year, 1816, also known as the “year without summer,” turned out to be abnormally cold, with unusually low temperatures settling in North America and Europe, catastrophic crop failures led to great famines and epidemics.
1883, Krakatoa volcano. 36,000 deaths.
The volcano woke up on May 20, 1883, it began to release huge clouds of steam, ash and smoke. This continued almost until the end of the eruption; on August 27, 4 powerful explosions occurred, which completely destroyed the island where the volcano was located. The fragments of the volcano scattered over a distance of 500 km, the gas-ash column rose to a height of more than 70 km. The explosions were so powerful that they were heard 4,800 kilometers away on Rodrigues Island. The blast wave was so powerful that it circled the Earth 7 times; they were felt after five days. In addition, it raised a tsunami 30 meters high, which led to the death of about 36,000 people on nearby islands (some sources indicate 120,000 victims), 295 cities and villages were washed into the sea by a powerful wave. The air wave tore off the roofs and walls of houses and uprooted trees within a radius of 150 kilometers.
Lithograph of the Krakatoa eruption, 1888
The eruption of Krakatoa, like Tambora, affected the planet's climate. Global temperatures dropped by 1.2 degrees Celsius during the year and only recovered by 1888.
The force of the blast wave was enough to raise so much large piece coral reef from the bottom of the sea and throw it several kilometers away.
1902, Mont Pele volcano. 30,000 people died.
The volcano is located in the north of the island of Martinique (Lesser Antilles). He woke up in April 1902. A month later, the eruption itself began, suddenly a mixture of smoke and ash began to burst out of the crevices at the foot of the mountain, and lava began to flow in a hot wave. The city was completely destroyed by an avalanche Saint Pierre, which was located 8 kilometers from the volcano. Of the entire city, only two people survived - a prisoner who was sitting in an underground solitary confinement cell, and a shoemaker who lived on the outskirts of the city; the rest of the city's population, more than 30,000 people, died.
Left: Photograph of ash plumes erupting from the Mont Pelee volcano. Right: a surviving prisoner, and the completely destroyed city of Saint-Pierre.
1985, Nevado del Ruiz volcano. More than 23,000 victims.
Located Nevado del Ruiz in the Andes, Colombia. In 1984, seismic activity was recorded in these places, clouds of sulfur gases were released from the summit and there were several minor ash emissions. On November 13, 1985, the volcano exploded, releasing a column of ash and smoke more than 30 kilometers high. The erupting hot streams melted the glaciers on the top of the mountain, creating four lahars. Lahars, consisting of water, pieces of pumice, rock fragments, ash and dirt, swept away everything in their path at a speed of 60 km/h. City Armero was completely washed away by the flood, of the 29,000 inhabitants of the city, only 5,000 survived. The second lahar hit the city of Chinchina, killing 1,800 people.
Lahar descent from the summit of Nevado del Ruiz
The consequences of the lahar are the city of Armero razed to the ground.