History has witnessed a series of terrifying volcanic eruptions, from Mount Pinatubo to Tambora – one of the tallest peaks in the Indonesian archipelago.
The intensity of these eruptions is measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), developed in 1980, which is similar to the scale used for measuring earthquake intensity. The VEI scale consists of eight levels, each ten times more powerful than the previous one.
Statistical data has not recorded any volcanic eruptions reaching level 8 in the last 10,000 years. However, human history has seen many catastrophic explosions, and the 11 volcanic eruptions listed below are among the most notable.
1. Mount Tambora, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, VEI 7 (1815)
Mount Tambora in Indonesia
The disaster of the Tambora eruption is recorded as the largest eruption in human history with a VEI rating of 7. This eruption, which occurred on April 10, 1815, buried 88,000 people under layers of lava with its terrifying heat.
According to reports from NASA scientists, the eruption of Mount Tambora had effects reaching as far as Sumatra, over 1,930 km away, and released approximately 150 km³ of ash into the atmosphere.
2. Changbaishan Volcano, VEI 7 (1000 years BC)
Known as Baitoushan, this eruption was so devastating that lava flowed all the way to southern Japan, an estimated distance of 750 miles or 1,200 km, and created a crater approximately 4.5 km wide and nearly 1 km deep. This crater is now Tianchi Lake, attracting many tourists with its natural beauty and the geological features created by the Changbaishan eruption.
Changbaishan Volcano (Baitoushan)
Located on the border of China and North Korea, Changbaishan is noted to have had its last eruption in 1702, and according to geologists, it has been inactive since then. Although gas emissions were reported in 1994, there is no clear evidence of renewed activity at Changbaishan.
3. Thera Volcano, VEI 7 (around 1610 BC)
Location of Thera Volcano on the map
The eruption of Thera around 1610 BC is considered a disaster that shook the Mediterranean, creating a massive crater on the Aegean island and resulting in violent waves. Archaeologists believe this eruption is linked to the disappearance of the Minoan civilization, as ash enveloped their cities and sank their maritime fleets. Today, Thera is the island of Santorini in Greece.
4. Ilopango Volcano, VEI 6+ (450 AD)
Ilopango is located just a few miles east of San Salvador and has experienced two major eruptions. The first occurred in 450 AD, inundating central and western El Salvador with ash and pumice, and completely destroying Mayan cities, forcing them to relocate.
The lake formed after the eruption of Ilopango Volcano
This eruption also created a caldera lake, which is now one of the largest lakes in El Salvador.
5. Ambrym Volcano, VEI 6+ (50 AD)
Ambrym, spanning approximately 665 km², is part of the Republic of Vanuatu – a small nation in the southwestern Pacific. The eruption of Ambrym in 50 AD created a caldera 12 km wide, releasing a large amount of ash down its slopes.
Location of Ambrym Volcano on the map
Today, Ambrym is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with about 50 eruptions since 1774 and is considered a potential danger to local residents. In 1894, an eruption from Ambrym resulted in six fatalities and four people buried in lava. Additionally, an acid rain event (partly attributed to this eruption) in 1979 also claimed many lives among local wildlife.
6. Mount Pinatubo, VEI 6 (1991)
Image of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo
Pinatubo was once a peaceful volcano on Luzon Island, Philippines. However, in June 1991, it erupted dramatically, creating a smoke plume that reached 35 km high and 1,100 km wide, carrying 5 km³ of rocks and lava that inundated surrounding areas. This eruption also released sulfur dioxide and other particles into the atmosphere, causing a global temperature drop of 0.5 degrees Celsius during 1992-1993.
7. Novarupta Volcano, VEI 6 (1912)
A village devastated after the eruption of Novarupta Volcano
Novarupta is one of the volcanoes in the Alaska Peninsula (part of the Pacific Ring of Fire), and its eruption in 1912 is considered the largest of the 20th century, releasing 12.5 km³ of lava and ash into the atmosphere and burying an area of approximately 7,800 km².
8. Santa Maria Volcano, VEI 6 (1902)
Santa Maria Volcano
The eruption occurring in 1902 at Santa Maria created a crater 1.5 km wide after nearly 500 years of inactivity. This volcano is part of the Sierra Madre range, located between the Pacific coastal plains of Guatemala and rising over 3,700 m high.
9. Krakatoa Volcano, VEI 6 (1883)
Krakatoa Volcano in the Pacific Ocean
Krakatoa is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ring of Fire, located between Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. The horrific explosion on August 27, 1883, of this volcano, rated VEI 6, was 13,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb “Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945, resulting in 36,000 deaths and the destruction of 165 villages. Ash and pumice were also ejected within a radius of more than 25 km.
10. Huaynaputina Volcano, VEI 6 (1600)
Area surrounding Huaynaputina Volcano
The violent eruption of Huaynaputina in 1600 buried the cities of Arequipa and Moquengua under lava, resulting in 1,500 deaths and ash covering an area within a 50 km radius.
11. Yellowstone Supervolcano, VEI 8 (640,000 years ago)
Yellowstone National Park
The entire Yellowstone National Park is a continuously active volcano beneath the feet of tourists, and scientists have recorded staggering figures about its power: three VEI 8 eruptions shook the area 2.1 million years ago, with a subsequent violent eruption 1.2 million years ago, and the most recent one occurring 640,000 years ago. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, “the total amount of lava and pumice from these three eruptions is enough to fill the Grand Canyon.”
