Review of the most significant volcanic eruptions of the XX century.

1902 May 8, Martinique island, Mont Pele volcano

At 7 o'clock. 50 min. Mont Pele volcano exploded into pieces - 4 strong explosions sounded like cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. But it was not the most dangerous release. It was the lateral ejections - those that from that time will be called "Peleian" - that sent fire and sulfur at a hurricane speed down the mountainside directly to St. Pierre, one of the main ports of the island of Martinique.

Superheated volcanic gas, due to its high density and high speed of movement, spreading above the earth itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction stretched for another 60 km2. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of incandescent ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry rock fragments and volcanic ejecta, 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 volcano Mont Pele, flying apart, destroyed St. 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, at a height of 3762 m; during its eruption, a layer of 20 cm thick covered an area of ​​323.75 thousand km2 with volcanic ash and debris. An explosion of gigantic power was heard 800 km away - in Costa Rica, a whole mountainside flew up, taking with it everything that was on it, then giant blocks fell down the slope. 6 thousand people died.

The clouds 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 history of volcanic emissions into the atmosphere.

1911 January 30, Philippines, Taal volcano

During the strongest eruption of the 20th century, Taal, a constantly active volcano in the Philippines, killed 1,335 people. It was a classic example of a "Peleian" type eruption, when the eruption occurs not only from the summit crater, but also from craters on the mountain slopes, often with hurricane-force winds. In practice, the volcano throws out not lava, but masses of white hot ash and superheated steam.

For 10 min. all living things ceased to exist. A layer of mud up to 80 m thick, accompanied by a stream of poisonous volcanic gases, destroyed people and houses at a distance of 10 km. Gradually, the 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, eclipsing 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 another eruption occurred, killing 200 people. Until now, it remains an active and dangerous volcano.

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

One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Both slopes of the volcano exploded, and the erupted volcanic ash covered half the island. For 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 stream burned the earth and destroyed all the villages in its path. More than 1300 people died.

1944 June, Mexico, Paricutin volcano

Paricutin is a volcano, which was written about in many magazines in 1943 as "a volcano born in a corn field in front of its owner."

He really 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 near the hole. On February 19, residents felt at least 300 aftershocks. On February 20, the crack on one side of the hole began to widen. Almost immediately, there was a sound like thunder. Trees shook nearby, and the ground swelled about a meter. In some places, smoke began to rise from the crack, and fine ash-gray dust. 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, there were several victims.

1951 January 21, New Guinea, Lamington volcano

The Lamington volcano eruption claimed the lives of 2,942 people. Many of them died from gale-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 Mont Pele volcano in 1902.

The Lamington eruption 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 top 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 Ardentes" rushed down, sweeping the forests so that not even the stumps remained.

After another catastrophic ejection at 20:00. 40 min. On January 21, Mount Lamington ceased visible activity. Within 15 years the vegetation returned to normal, but the slopes are still uninhabited to this day.

March 30, 1956, USSR, Kamchatka, Bezymyanny volcano

The massive explosion of the Bezymyanny volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula largely went 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 minutes. An explosion of monstrous force split the top of the snow-covered Nameless, which had previously risen to a height of 3048 m above sea level. In a matter of seconds, 183 m of peaks were 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 tangibly heavy. Together with the cloud, a roar of thunder arose and intensified, accompanied by incessant flashes of lightning. About 17 one hour 40 minutes, when the cloud had already passed the zenith, ash began to fall ... and by 18 hours 20 minutes it became so dark that it was impossible to see one's own hand, even if one brought it up to one's face. roamed around the village in search of their homes. Thunder rumbled with deafening force, did not stop. The air was saturated with electricity, telephones spontaneously rang, loudspeakers in the radio network burned 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 Sukha Khapitsa River and the 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, G.O. Gorshkov discovered thousands of plumes of fumarolic gases rising from the surface of a 30-meter layer of ash over an area of ​​47 km2.

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

The cloud of ash, shot up from the cone vertically upwards in 10 minutes, rose to a height of 19.2 km. Day turned into night. In the city of Spokane (Washington), 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. Ash fell in a smaller amount in Idaho, in central Montana and partly in Colorado. A cloud of ash circled the globe in 11 days. For weeks, a belt of ash colored sunsets, affecting the atmosphere. As in 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 out to the state of a lunar landscape.

Mount St. Helens shrunk like a broken tooth. The once symmetrical and well-built peak has disappeared, and instead, 400 meters below, an amphitheater with sheer walls of 600 meters, with barren terrain below them, has appeared.

1982 March 29, Mexico, El Chichon volcano

The eruption of the El Chichon volcano occurred in two stages: on March 29 and April 3–4, 1982. Initially, volcanic ash filled the atmosphere to a height of about 30 km. Then what was 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 rather quickly settled on the Earth's surface. The stratospheric cloud, expanding horizontally, made several distinct revolutions around the Earth. Observations in the Hawaiian Islands showed that by December (compared to June), the concentration of ash at a height of 20 km decreased by 6 times due to dispersal. In temperate latitudes, volcanic ash appeared in November 1982. Signs of increased turbidity in the Arctic stratosphere did not appear until March 1983. Thus, it took about a year for the pollution to be evenly distributed in the stratosphere of the Northern Hemisphere. In the future, it evenly 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 in terms of the number of victims and property damage occurred. A column of ash and rock fragments rose into the sky to a height of 8 km. Hot gases ejected from the crater of the volcano and pouring 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 some 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, Mount Pinatubo

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

On June 10, a medium-sized eruption of the Pinatubo volcano, located on the island of Luzon, 88 km from Manila, occurred. June 12 at 8 a.m. 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 poured down the slopes at a speed 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 with even more power than before. He threw ashes and flames into the air for 24 km.

On the morning of June 14, a typhoon hit the east coast of Luzon with a wind speed 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 streams 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 the province of Zambales, the most affected region, everything was covered with a 90-centimeter layer of ash and volcanic debris.

The smallest particles of ejected ash formed a huge cloud that encircled the entire globe along the equator. It contained little ozone in its central part, and a lot of sulfur dioxide along its edges. During the eruption, more than 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide were released into the atmosphere. The ash cloud of Mount Pinatubo, like that of Krakatoa in 1883, led to some general decrease in temperature, as the ash particles form a screen to block sunlight. From space satellites, the presence of chlorine compounds and some other harmful gases in the atmosphere was recorded in a concentration higher 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. A column of flame from the crater of the volcano reached 18 km in height, ash fell on the streets of Mexico City. Almost 40,000 people were evacuated from the villages located near the mountain.

March 14, 2000, Russia, Kamchatka, Bezymyanny volcano

During the volcanic eruption, ash was thrown with great force to a height of up to 5 km above sea level, and the plume of the ash cloud 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 there was a smell of sulfur. The last time Bezymyanny erupted on February 24, 1999, when ash emissions reached a height of 8 km. A similar ash fall was recorded on this volcano only in 1956. The awakened volcano did not pose a danger to the population.

2000 December, Mexico, Popocatepetl volcano

On December 14, the eruption of the Popocatepetl volcano began, 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 the authorities, the evacuation was announced mainly out of precaution - the ash from the volcanic eruption, which the locals call El Popo, was carried by the wind in a radius of more than 80 km.

On the night of December 18-19, a strong volcanic eruption occurred. Stones, gas and a hot lava column flying out of a 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.

Incredible Facts

In mid-June of this year, it was 20 years since the catastrophic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, as a result of which a huge amount of ash was released into the atmosphere and circled the globe, which led to a drop in global temperatures by 0.5 degrees Celsius next year.

On this anniversary, we decided to highlight the largest volcanic eruptions measured using the Volcanic Eruption Index (VEI), a classification system similar to earthquakes.

The system was developed in the 1980s, taking into account factors such as the volume of the eruption, its 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 volcanic eruptions with an index of 8 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 in the last 4000 years.

Huaynaputina, Peru - 1600, VEI 6

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

Despite the fact that the mountain is quite high (4850 meters), no one expected an eruption from it. She stands on the edge of a deep canyon, and her 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 did not recover until a century later.

Krakatoa (Krakatoa), Sunda Strait, Indonesia, - 1883, VEI 6

The most 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 Platform, threw out huge amounts of rock, ash and pumice, and it was heard for thousands of kilometers.

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

While the island that had been his home before the eruption of Krakatoa remained completely destroyed, new eruptions began in December 1927 and provoked the appearance of Anak Krakatoa ("Child of Krakatoa"), a cone in the center of the caldera that appeared as a result of the 1883 eruption. Anak Krakatau comes to his senses from time to time, reminding everyone of his great parent.

Volcano Santa Maria, Guatemala - 1902, VEI 6

The Santa Maria eruption 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 the coast of Guatemala. 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 "gave out" a pyroclastic flow (fast moving and flammable clouds of gas and dust) that killed more than 5,000 people.

Novarupta, Alaska Peninsula - June 1912, VEI 6

The eruption of Novarupta - one of the chain of volcanoes in the Alaska Peninsula, part of the Pacific ring of fire - was the largest volcanic explosion of the 20th century. A powerful eruption provoked the release of 12.5 cubic kilometers of magma and ash into the air, which then settled on the ground in a radius of 7800 square kilometers.

Mount Pinatubo, Luzon, Philippines - 1991, VEI 6

The catastrophic eruption of Pinatubo was a classic explosive eruption. The eruption spewed more than 5 cubic kilometers of waste products into the air and created a column 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 ash.

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

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

The 665 sq. km volcanic island, which is part of a tiny country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, witnessed one of the most impressive eruptions in the history of mankind, 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 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, triggered by a volcanic eruption, burned several local residents.

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

Although this mountain is located in the center of El Salvador, just a few miles east of the capital city of San Salvador, it has only experienced two eruptions in its history, the first being very strong. It covered much of Central and Western El Salvador in cinders and ash, and destroyed the early Maya cities, forcing the inhabitants to flee.

Trade routes were destroyed, and the center of Maya civilization moved from the mountainous regions of El Salvador to the lowlands in the north in Guatemala. Eruption calderas are currently one of the largest lakes in El Salvador.

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

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

The island of Santorini (part of the archipelago of volcanic islands) where 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 the "desire" of the volcano to explode and were able to evacuate in time. But even if we assume that the inhabitants managed to escape, as a result of the eruption, their culture still suffered greatly. It is also worth noting that the volcano provoked the strongest tsunami, and the huge release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere caused a global decrease in temperature and climate change subsequently.

Changbaishan volcano, China-North Korea border, 1000, VEI 7

Also known as the Baitoushan volcano, so much volcanic material was ejected from its eruption 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. Currently, the caldera is Lake Tianchi, which is popular with tourists not only for its beauty, but also because of the alleged unidentified creatures living in its depths.

The mountain last erupted in 1702 and geologists believe it is dormant. Emissions of gases were recorded in 1994, but no evidence of the resumption of activity of the volcano was observed.

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

The explosion of Mount Tambora is the largest in the history of mankind, its explosive index is 7, which is a very high figure. The volcano, which is still active, is one of the highest peaks in the Indonesian archipelago. The eruption reached its peak in April 1815, the explosion was so loud that it could be heard on the island of Sumatra, which is located at a distance of more than 1930 km. The death toll was 71,000, and clouds of heavy ash hit many islands very far from the volcano.

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 such 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. Erupted ashes flew even to Egypt and Syria. Every second, millions of tons of molten rock and pumice came out of the vent of Vesuvius. A day after the start of the eruption, streams of hot mud mixed with stones and ash began to descend. Pyroclastic flows completely buried the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae. In 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 of magnitude 5, but no one responded to natural warnings, since earthquakes are a frequent occurrence in this place.

Last eruption Vesuvius It was recorded in 1944, after which it calmed down. Scientists suggest that the longer the "hibernation" of the volcano lasts, the stronger its next eruption will be.

1792. Volcano Unzen. About 15,000 dead.

The volcano is located on the Japanese peninsula Shimabara. Activity Unzen recorded since 1663, but the strongest 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 zone of the Japanese Islands. The number of victims exceeded 15,000 people.

In 1991, at the foot of Unzen, 43 journalists and scientists died under the lava when it rolled down the slope.

1815. Volcano Tambora. 71,000 casualties.

This eruption is considered the most powerful in the history of mankind. April 5, 1815 began the geological activity of the volcano, located on the Indonesian island 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 ash flew to the islands of Java, Kilimantan, Molucca.

The eruption of the Tambora volcano in the representation of the artist. Unfortunately the author could not be found.

The release of huge amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere has caused global climate change, including such a phenomenon as "volcanic winter". The next year, 1816, also known as the "year without summer", turned out to be abnormally cold, unusually low temperatures were established in North America and Europe, a catastrophic crop failure led to great famine 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 thundered, which completely destroyed the island where the volcano was located. 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 could be heard at a distance of 4800 kilometers on the island of Rodrigues. The blast wave was so powerful that it went around the Earth 7 times, they were felt after five days. In addition, she 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, uprooted trees within a radius of 150 kilometers.

Lithograph of Krakatau volcano eruption, 1888

The eruption of Krakatoa, like Tambor, affected the climate of the planet. The global temperature during the year fell by 1.2 degrees Celsius and recovered only by 1888.

The force of the blast wave was enough to lift such a large piece of 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 escape from the crevices at the foot of the mountain, and lava went in a red-hot wave. The city was 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 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 Pele 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, clubs of sulfur gases were emitted from the top and there were several minor ash emissions. On November 13, 1985, the volcano exploded, releasing a column of ash and smoke over 30 kilometers high. Erupted hot streams melted the glaciers at the top of the mountain, thus forming four lahars. Lahars, consisting of water, pieces of pumice, fragments of rocks, ash and dirt, swept away everything in their path at a speed of 60 km / h. City Armero was completely washed away by the stream, out of 29,000 residents of the city, only 5,000 survived. The second lahar hit the city of Chinchina, killing 1,800 people.

The descent of the lahar from the summit of Nevado del Ruiz

The consequences of the lahara - the city of Armero, demolished to the ground.

August 24-25, 79 AD an eruption occurred that was considered extinct Mount Vesuvius, located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, 16 kilometers east of Naples (Italy). The eruption led to the death of four Roman cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontius, 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, the ashes made it hard to breathe. On August 25, together with the earthquake, a tsunami began, the sea receded from the coast, and a black thundercloud hung over Pompeii and the surrounding cities, hiding Cape Mizensky and the island of Capri. Most of the population of Pompeii was able to escape, but about two thousand people died from poisonous sulfurous gases on the streets and in the houses of the city. Among the victims was the Roman writer and scholar Pliny the Elder. Herculaneum, located seven kilometers from the crater of the volcano and about two kilometers from its sole, 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 there was an eruption Mount Etna in Sicily, which lasted until July of that year (according to other sources, until November 1669). The eruption was accompanied by numerous earthquakes. Lava fountains along this crack gradually shifted downward, 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. Nicolosi and two nearby villages were destroyed on the first day of the eruption. In another three days, the lava flowing down the slope to the south destroyed four more villages. At the end of March, two larger cities were destroyed, and in early April, lava flows reached the outskirts of Catania. Lava began to accumulate under the fortress walls. Part of it flowed into the harbor and filled it. On April 30, 1669, lava flowed over the upper part of the fortress walls. The townspeople built additional walls across the main roads. This made it possible to stop the progress 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, incinerated by a huge lava flow (30 meters wide), which descended the eastern slopes for two days. Following the initial explosion and lava flow, Mayon volcano continued to erupt for another four days, spewing large amounts of steam and watery mud. Greyish-brown rivers, 25 to 60 meters wide, crashed down the slopes of the mountain in a radius of up to 30 kilometers. They completely swept away roads, animals, villages with people (Daraga, Kamalig, Tobako) on their way. 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, poured lava into the surrounding area.

April 5-7, 1815 there was an eruption Volcano Tambora on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Ashes, sand and volcanic dust were thrown into the air to a height of 43 kilometers. Stones up to five kilograms in weight 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 fallen kingdoms of Pekat, Sangar and Tambora. Simultaneously with the volcanic eruption, a huge tsunami 3.5-9 meters high was formed. Receding from the island, the water hit the neighboring islands and drowned hundreds of people. Directly during the eruption, about 10 thousand people died. At least 82 thousand more people died from the consequences of the catastrophe - hunger or disease. Ashes that covered Sumbawa with a shroud destroyed the entire crop and covered the irrigation system; acid rain poisoned the water. For three years after Tambora's eruption, a veil of dust and ash particles enveloped the entire globe, reflecting part of the sun's rays and cooling the planet. The following year, 1816, Europeans felt the effects of a volcanic eruption. He entered the annals of history as "a year without a summer". The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere has fallen 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 territories.

August 26-27, 1883 there was an eruption Krakatoa volcano located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. From the tremors on the nearby islands, houses collapsed. On August 27, at about 10 am, there was a giant explosion, an hour later - a second explosion of the same force. More than 18 cubic kilometers of rock fragments and ash shot up into the atmosphere. The tsunami waves caused by the explosions instantly swallowed up cities, villages, forests on the coast of Java and Sumatra. Many islands disappeared under water along with the population. The tsunami was so powerful that it bypassed almost the entire planet. In total, 295 cities and villages were swept off the face of the earth on the coasts of Java and Sumatra, more than 36 thousand people died, hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The shores 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 displaced, 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 seemed blue and the moon bright green. And the movement in the atmosphere of dust particles thrown out by the eruption allowed scientists to establish the presence of a "jet" flow.

May 8, 1902 Mont Pelee volcano, located on Martinique, one of the islands of the Caribbean, literally exploded into pieces - four strong explosions sounded like cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. Since the emissions did not go through the top of the volcano, but through side craters, all volcanic eruptions of this type have since been called "Peleian". The superheated volcanic gas, which, due to its high density and high speed of movement, floated above the earth itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction stretched for another 60 square kilometers. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of incandescent ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry rock fragments and volcanic eruptions, 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 volcano Mont-Pele, having scattered to 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 have become 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 sat there for four days, despite severe burns. After being rescued, he was pardoned, soon he was hired by the circus and was shown during performances as the only surviving resident of Saint-Pierre.

June 1, 1912 eruption began Katmai volcano in Alaska, which has been dormant for a long time. On June 4, ash material was thrown out, which, mixed with water, formed mud flows, on June 6 there was an explosion of colossal force, the sound of which was heard in Juneau for 1200 kilometers and in Dawson for 1040 kilometers from the volcano. Two hours later there was a second explosion of great force, and in the evening a third. Then, for several days, an eruption of a colossal amount of gases and solid products went on almost continuously. During the eruption, about 20 cubic kilometers of ash and debris escaped from the mouth of the volcano. The deposition of this material formed a layer of ash 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 spread throughout North America and fell in large quantities in the Pacific Ocean. For a whole year, small particles of ash moved in the atmosphere. Summer on the entire 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 ashy curtain. In addition, in 1912 surprisingly beautiful scarlet dawns were observed everywhere. A lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed on the site of the crater - the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Reserve, formed in 1980.

December 13-28, 1931 there was an eruption volcano Merapi on the island of Java in Indonesia. For two weeks, from December 13 to 28, the volcano erupted a lava flow about seven kilometers long, up to 180 meters wide and up to 30 meters deep. The white-hot stream burned the earth, burned the trees and destroyed all the villages in its path. In addition, both sides of the volcano exploded, and the 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 taking place 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 death toll included those who died from exacerbations of lung and heart diseases and other chronic diseases caused by ash emissions, as well as those who died from injuries.

November 12, 1985 eruption began Volcano Ruiz in Colombia, which was 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 fragments rose into the sky to a height of eight kilometers. The eruption that began caused the instantaneous melting of 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 inhabitants of the city, 21 thousand died. Not only Armero was destroyed, but also a number of villages. Such settlements as Chinchino, Libano, Murillo, Casabianca and others were badly affected by the eruption. Mudflows damaged oil pipelines, fuel supply to the southern and western parts of the country was cut off. As a result of the sudden melting of snow lying in the mountains of Nevado Ruiz, nearby rivers burst their banks. Powerful streams of water washed away roads, demolished power lines 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 and went missing, 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. The Colombian economy has suffered significant damage.

June 10-15, 1991 there was an eruption Mount Pinatubo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The eruption began quite rapidly and was unexpected, as the volcano came into a state of activity after more than six centuries of dormancy. On June 12, the volcano exploded, sending a mushroom cloud into the sky. Streams of gas, ash and rocks melted to a temperature of 980 ° C poured down the slopes at a speed 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 flame into the air for 24 kilometers. The volcano continued to erupt on June 15 and 16. Mud streams and water washed away houses. As a result of numerous eruptions, about 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

There have been many volcanic eruptions throughout history. Some eruptions brought destruction and death of a large number of people. Online magazine Factinteres will talk about the 5 largest volcanic eruptions in the history of mankind.

Vesuvius 24 August 79 AD

Many people know the history of the city of Pompeii. It was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that led to that disaster. In addition to Pompeii, 3 more cities disappeared - Oplontia, Stbia and Herculaneum.

Most of the population of these cities still managed to escape. Many suffered not so much from lava as from sulfur dioxide. The total death toll was approximately 2,000 people. There was so much ash and pumice that the ruins of the city were found only in the 16th century.

Etna, 1669

Mount Etna is currently the highest active volcano in all of Europe. About once every 150 years, this volcano destroyed a settlement near it. However, the high activity of the volcano does not stop the Sicilians and each time they return to life near the volcano.

In 1669 Mount Etna erupted for half a year. As a result, the outlines of the island became unrecognizable. For example, the castle of Ursino before the eruption was right on the seashore. After the eruption, the castle was 2.5 kilometers from the coast! There were no deaths during that eruption, but the volcano destroyed more than 25,000 houses.

Tambora, 1815

The eruption of 1815 made people all over the world suffer. The fact is that the Tabora volcano exploded during the eruption, throwing out about 2 million tons of debris. The island of Sumbawa, on which the volcano was located, was completely sunk. At that time, more than 10 thousand people became victims, but this was not the end.

Due to a powerful explosion, a tsunami was formed, the height of which reached 9 meters. The nearest islands were completely erased, and the inhabitants died. But that was not the end either. A powerful explosion provoked debris to fall to a height of 40 kilometers, where they turned into dust, which flew from the atmosphere into the stratosphere without any problems. This dust began to swirl around the planet and reflect the rays of the sun. As a result, all the people of the planet suffered, because. lack of sun affected the amount of food grown, people's health, and so on. Some historians consider the eruption of the Tambor volcano the most destructive in the history of mankind.

Mont Pele, 1902

In 1902, on the morning of May 8, 4 powerful explosions of the Mont Pele volcano were heard. A huge amount of lava abruptly rushed to the nearest port on the island of Martinique. In addition, red-hot ashes covered the settlement. More than 36,000 people died as a result. Only 2 people were able to survive.

Ruiz, 1985

Until 85 AD, the Ruiz volcano was considered inactive for a long time. However, on November 13, 1985, the Colombians heard several strong explosions. Experts estimated the strongest explosion at 10 megatons. A column of dust and ash rose 9 kilometers up.

The greatest destruction from the Ruiz volcano suffered the city of Armero. In just 10 minutes, the city was completely destroyed. The number of victims was more than 20,000 people. In addition, oil pipelines, roads and power lines were damaged. Due to the eruption, the snow on the tops of the mountains began to melt and this led to the rivers overflowing their banks.