History has witnessed a series of terrifying volcanic eruptions, from Pinatubo to Tambora - one of the highest peaks of the Indonesian archipelago.
The intensity of these eruptions is measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI for short), developed in 1980 and closely resembles a measure of the intensity of earthquakes. The VEI measure consists of 8 levels and each level is spaced 10 times.
Statistics have not recorded any volcanic eruption reaching level 8 in the past 10,000 years. However, human history still has many extremely catastrophic explosions and the 11 eruptions of the volcanoes below are the most typical.
1. Tambora Volcano, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, VEI 7 (1815)
Mount Tambora in Indonesia
The Tambora eruption was recorded as the largest eruption in human history when the VEI index was assessed at level 7. This eruption took place on April 10, 1815, buried 88,000 people under lava layer with terrible heat.
According to information reported by NASA scientists, the eruption of Mount Tambora affected the island of Sumatra, more than 1,930 km away, and released about 150 km3 of ash into the air.
2. Changbaishan Volcano, VEI 7 (1000 BC)
Known as Changbai (Baitoushan), the eruption was so intense that it sent lava flowing as far south as Japan at an estimated distance of 750 miles, or 1,200 km, and created a The crater is about 4.5 km wide and nearly 1 km deep. This crater today is Thien Tri Lake, attracting a large number of tourists thanks to its natural beauty and what the eruption of the Changbai volcano itself created.
Changbaishan Volcano (Changbai)
Located on the border of China and Korea, Changbai was last recorded with its last eruption in 1702, and according to geologists, after this time, it is no longer active. Although emissions were still present in 1994, there is no clear evidence of Changbai's return to operation.
3. Thera Volcano, VEI 7 (circa 1610 BC)
Thera volcano location on the map
The eruption of Thera volcano around 1610 BC is considered a disaster that shook the Mediterranean, creating a large crater on the Aegean island and violent waves. Archaeologists believe this eruption was related to the disappearance of the Minoan civilization as ash clouds enveloped the city and engulfed their fleets of seas. Today, Thera is the Greek island of Santorini.
4. Ilopango Volcano, VEI 6+ (450 AD)
Ilopango is located just a few miles east of the city of San Salvador and has had two very large eruptions. The first was in 450 AD, which flooded the central and western part of El Salvador with ash and pumice, and also completely destroyed the Mayan city, forcing them to move to another area. other land.
The lake was created after the eruption of the Ilopango volcano
This eruption also created a crater lake and is currently ranked as one of El Salvador's largest lakes.
5. Ambrym Volcano, VEI 6+ (50 AD)
Ambrym has an area of about 665 km2, is part of the Republic of Vanuatu - a small country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Ambrym's eruption in AD 50 created a wash crater 12km wide and sent a large amount of ash to the foot of the mountain.
Location of Ambrym volcano on the map
Currently, Ambrym is one of the most active volcanoes in the world with about 50 eruptions since 1774 and is considered a potential danger to locals living nearby. In 1894, an eruption of Ambrym left 6 people dead and 4 buried in lava. In addition, the acid rain (which was determined to be caused in part by this eruption) in 1979 also claimed the lives of many species of creatures.
6. Pinatubo Volcano, VEI 6 (1991)
Pictures of the eruption of Mount Pinatubo
Pinatubo was once a peaceful volcano located on the island of Luzon, Philippines. However, in June 1991, Pinatubo really broke out when its "rage" created a column of smoke and dust up to 35 km high, 1,100 km wide, carrying 5 km3 of rock and lava flows. down to engulf the surrounding areas. In addition, this eruption also caused sulfur dioxide and other particles to spread everywhere, causing global temperatures to drop by 0.5 degrees Celsius between 1992 and 1993.
7. Novarupta Volcano, VEI 6 (1912)
A village devastated by the eruption of the volcano Novarupta
Novarupta is one of the volcanoes in the Alaska Peninsula Volcanic Range (part of the Pacific Ring of Fire) and its 1912 eruption is considered the largest of the 20th century when 12.5 km3 Lava and ash filled the air, burying an area of about 7,800 square kilometers.
8. Sannta Maria Volcano, VEI 6 (1902)
Santa Maria Volcano
The 1902 eruption of Sannta Maria created a crater 1.5km wide after nearly 500 years of inactivity. It is part of the Sierra Madre volcanic range, located in the middle of the Pacific coastal plain of Guatemala and is more than 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 the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. The terrible explosion occurred on August 27, 1883 of this volcano with VIE level 6, 13,000 times more powerful than the destructive power of the atomic bomb "Litte Boy" dropped on the Japanese city of Hirosima in 1945. , leaving 36,000 people dead and 165 villages devastated. Ash and pumice were also blown up within a radius of more than 25 km.
10. Huaynaputina Volcano, VEI 6 (1600)
The area around the volcano Huaynaputina
The violent eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano occurred in 1600, causing the cities of Arequipa and Moquengua to be buried in lava, and 1500 people were killed and covered with ash within a radius of 50 km.
11. Yellowstone semi-super mountain, VEI 8 (640 thousand years ago)
Yellowstone National Park
The entire Yellowstone National Park is a volcano that is constantly active at the feet of visitors, and scientists have terrible numbers about its strength: 3 eruptions of magnitude 8 have rocked the whole world. area 2.1 million years ago, the next violent eruption 1.2 million years ago and the most recent 640 thousand 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."
