Major volcanic eruptions in the 19th and 20th centuries. The most powerful volcanic eruptions

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 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. The devastating consequences of 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 the 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, picturesque views. 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 Mediterranean coast. 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 of the impending disaster, and they left their native land in time. 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, creating 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 during the existence of the Earth more than strong eruptions, but we have no information about this.

So, in 1815, nature went wild: 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 consisted of one large 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 turned blue due to the huge amount of ash released during the eruption. 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 a powerful eruption of the Mont Pele volcano, which is located on Martinique, the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. 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, he became only part of the beauty 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 undertook necessary measures in order to prevent the population from leaving 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 into hibernation until 1929, when a rather powerful eruption occurred, however, without causing casualties.

These days 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 in 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 the largest lake of volcanic origin was formed.

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 be 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 ash deposits that covered South Asia, the Indian Ocean, the 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 not relevant also because the territories close to the volcano were rich dense forests, which indicated El Chichon’s long-term hibernation. 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 above 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 is part of national park Vatnajökull). 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, 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 failures 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 is usually the case in economically undeveloped countries, local residents, without thinking about the risk, appreciate the benefit that the mineral-rich soil gives them - 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.

Review of the most significant volcanic eruptions of the 20th century.

1902 May 8, Martinique island, Mont Pele volcano

At 7 o'clock 50 min. The Mont Pele volcano exploded into pieces - 4 strong explosions were heard, similar to cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. But this was not the most dangerous release. It was the lateral emissions - those that from that time would be called "Peleian" - that sent fire and brimstone at hurricane speed along the mountainside directly to Saint-Pierre - one of the main ports of the island of Martinique.

Superheated volcanic gas, due to its high density and high speed of movement, spread above the ground itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction extended another 60 km2. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of hot ash, moved at a speed sufficient to carry debris rocks and volcanic emissions, 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 Mont Pele volcano, flying into pieces, destroyed Saint-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, height 3762 m; during its eruption, an area of ​​323.75 thousand km2 was covered with a layer of volcanic ash and debris 20 cm thick. An explosion of gigantic power was heard 800 km away - in Costa Rica, an entire mountainside flew up, taking with it everything that was on it, then giant boulders collapsed down the slope. 6 thousand people died.

The clouds that 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 entire history of volcanic emissions into the atmosphere.

1911 January 30, Philippines, Taal Volcano

The worst eruption of the 20th century at Taal, a permanently active volcano in the Philippines, killed 1,335 people. This was a classic example of a "Peleian" type eruption, where eruptions occur not only from the summit crater, but also from craters on the mountainside, often with hurricane-force winds. In practice, the volcano does not emit lava, but masses of white hot ash and superheated steam.

In 10 min. all living things ceased to exist. A layer of mud up to 80 m thick, accompanied by a flow of toxic volcanic gases, destroyed people and houses at a distance of 10 km. Gradually, 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, darkening 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 it erupted again, killing 200 people. To this day it remains an active and dangerous volcano.

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

One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions of the 20th century. Both slopes of the volcano exploded, and erupted volcanic ash covered half the island. In 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 flow scorched the earth and destroyed all the villages in its path. More than 1,300 people died.

1944 June, Mexico, Paricutin volcano

Paricutin is a volcano that was written about in many magazines in 1943 as “a volcano born in a cornfield before the eyes of its owner.”

He actually got up in the cornfield. For many years this place was small hole, On February 5, 1943, a series of ever-increasing tremors began, causing a crack to appear near the hole. On February 19, residents felt at least 300 tremors. On February 20, the crack on one side of the hole began to expand. Almost immediately there was a sound like thunder. Nearby trees shook and the ground swelled about a meter. Here and there smoke and fine ash-gray dust began to rise from the crack. 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, and there were several casualties.

1951 January 21, New Guinea, Lamington Volcano

The eruption of Mount Lamington killed 2,942 people. Many of them died from hurricane-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 the Mont Pelé volcano in 1902.

The eruption of Lamington 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 peak 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 Ardente rushed down, sweeping away the forests so that not even stumps remained.

After another catastrophic ejection at 20:00. 40 min. Mount Lamington ceased visible activity on 21 January. Within 15 years, the vegetation returned to normal, but the slopes are not inhabited to this day.

1956 March 30, USSR, Kamchatka, Bezymyanny volcano

The violent explosion of the Bezymianny volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula went largely 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 min. A monstrous explosion split the top of the snow-covered Bezymyanny, which had previously risen to a height of 3048 m above sea level. In a matter of seconds, 183 m of the peak was 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 palpably heavy. Along with the cloud, the roar of thunder arose and intensified, accompanied by incessant flashes of lightning. Around 17 hour 40 minutes, when the cloud had already passed the zenith, ash began to fall... and by 18 hours it became so dark that it was impossible to see. own hand, even if you bring it close to your face. People returning from work wandered around the village in search of their homes. The thunder rumbled with deafening force and did not stop. The air was saturated with electricity, telephones were ringing spontaneously, loudspeakers on the radio network were burning 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 Sukhaya Khapitsa River and 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 of G.O. Gorshkov discovered thousands of streams of fumarole gases rising from the surface of a 30-meter layer of ash over an area of ​​47 km2.

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

A cloud of ash, which shot up vertically from the cone in 10 minutes, rose to a height of 19.2 km. Day turned into night. In the city of Spokane (Washington State), 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. Lesser amounts of ash fell in Idaho, in the central part of Montana and partially in Colorado. A cloud of ash circled around Earth in 11 days. For several weeks, the ash belt colored the sunsets and affected the atmosphere. As with 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 to the point of a lunar landscape.

Mount St. Helens shrunk like a broken tooth. The once symmetrical and well-formed peak has disappeared, and in its place 400m below there is an amphitheater with sheer 600m walls and barren terrain below.

1982 March 29, Mexico, El Chichon volcano

The eruption of the El Chichon volcano occurred in two stages: March 29 and April 3–4, 1982. Initially, volcanic ash filled the atmosphere to a height of approximately 30 km. Then what ended up 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 settled quite quickly on the Earth’s surface. The stratospheric cloud, expanding horizontally, made several distinct revolutions around the Earth. Observations on the Hawaiian Islands showed that by December (compared to June), due to dispersal, the concentration of ash at an altitude of 20 km decreased by 6 times. In temperate latitudes, volcanic ash appeared in November 1982. Signs of increasing turbidity in the Arctic stratosphere appeared only in March 1983. Thus, it took about a year for the pollution to be evenly distributed in the stratosphere Northern Hemisphere. Subsequently, it gradually 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 occurred in terms of the number of victims and material damage. A column of ash and rock debris rose into the sky to a height of 8 km. Hot gases ejected from the crater of the volcano and gushing 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 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, Pinatubo volcano

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

On June 10, there was a moderate eruption of Mount Pinatubo, located on the island of Luzon, 88 km from Manila. June 12 at 8 o'clock. 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 rushed down the slopes at speeds 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 even with more power than before. It threw ash and flames 24 km into the air.

On the morning of June 14, a typhoon hit the east coast of Luzon with wind speeds 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 flows 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 Zambales province, the worst-hit region, everything was covered in 90 centimeters of ash and volcanic debris.

The smallest particles of ejected ash formed a huge cloud that encircled the entire globe along the equator. Its central part contained little ozone, and at its edges there was a lot of sulfur dioxide. The eruption released more than 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. The ash cloud at Mount Pinatubo, like that at Krakatoa in 1883, led to some general drop in temperature as the ash particles formed a screen that blocked sunlight. Space satellites have detected the presence of chlorine compounds and some other harmful gases in the atmosphere in concentrations greater 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. The column of flame from the volcano's crater reached 18 km in height, and ash rained down on the streets of Mexico City. Almost 40 thousand people were taken from the villages located near the mountain.

2000 March 14, Russia, Kamchatka, Bezymianny volcano

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

December 2000, Mexico, Popocatepetl volcano

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

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

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! The 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. The 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 African continent. They caused acid rain, and a high concentration of dust particles that did not allow Sun rays, 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 of the 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. Over the past decades, many small explosions have been 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 coffee trees and the main share harvested, 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. Scientists estimate their power was 200 megatons (10,000 times more than the bombs in Hiroshima), the sound of the largest explosion 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. The 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 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 parts of Asia, unusually low temperatures, endless rains and hurricanes were observed, 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. Its 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 the central island of Thira (or Fira). The explosion generated a tsunami, the height of which in different sources is indicated from 15 to 100 m, and the speed of movement is 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 being submerged under water, and the pillar of fire he saw could have been a direct result of 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

In the new millennium, the most terrible reports of disasters come from countries with high tectonic activity. Earthquakes cause enormous destruction and provoke tsunamis that wash away entire cities:

• the 2011 Japanese tsunami (16,000 victims);
• earthquake in Nepal in 2015 (8,000 victims);
• earthquake in Haiti in 2010 (100-500 thousand dead);
• 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean (according to confirmed data, 184 thousand in 4 countries).

Volcanoes in the new century bring only minor inconveniences. Emissions of volcanic ash interrupt air traffic, cause discomfort associated with evacuation and the unpleasant smell of sulfur.

But it was (and will be) not always like this. In the past, the largest eruptions caused much more serious consequences. Scientists believe that the longer a volcano sleeps, the stronger its next eruption will be. Today there are 1,500 volcanoes in the world that are up to 100 thousand years old. 500 million people live in close proximity to the fire-breathing mountains. Each of them lives on a powder keg, because people have not learned to accurately predict the time and place of a likely disaster.

The most terrible eruptions are associated not only with magma escaping from the depths in the form of lava, but also with explosions, fragments of flying rock, and changes in relief; smoke and ash covering vast areas, carrying chemical compounds that are deadly to humans.

Let's look at the 10 deadliest events of the past that resulted from a volcanic eruption.

Kelud (about 5,000 dead)

An active Indonesian volcano is located 90 kilometers from the second most populous city in the country - Surabaya, on the island of Java. The strongest officially recorded eruption of Kelud is considered to be a catastrophe that killed more than 5,000 people in 1919. A special feature of the volcano is the lake located inside the crater. On May 19 of that year, the reservoir, boiling under the influence of magma, brought down about 38 million cubic meters of water on residents of nearby villages. Along the way, silt, dirt, and stones mixed with the water. The population suffered more from the mudflow than from the explosion and lava.

After the incident in 1919, the authorities took measures to reduce the area of ​​the lake. The last volcanic eruption dates back to 2014. As a result, 2 people died.

Santa Maria (5,000 - 6,000 victims)

The volcano, located in the central part of the American continent (in Guatemala), had been dormant for about 500 years before its first eruption in the 20th century. Having lulled the vigilance of the locals, they did not attach much importance to the earthquake that began in the fall of 1902. A terrible explosion that sounded on October 24 destroyed one of the mountain slopes. Over three days, 5,000 residents were killed by 5,500 cubic meters of magma and bursting rock. A column of smoke and ash from the smoking mountain spread 4,000 km, to the American San Francisco. Another 1,000 residents suffered from epidemics caused by the eruption.

Lucky (more than 9,000 dead)

The most powerful known eruption of Icelandic volcanoes continued for 8 months. In July 1783, Lucky woke up, completely unhappy. Lava from its vent flooded about 600 square kilometers of the island. But the most dangerous consequences were the clouds of toxic smoke that could be observed even in China. Fluoride and sulfur dioxide killed all crops and most of the island's livestock. Slow death from starvation and toxic gases overtook more than 9,000 (20% of the population) of Iceland's inhabitants.

Other parts of the planet were also affected. The decrease in air temperature in the Northern Hemisphere as a result of the disaster led to crop failure throughout the United States, Canada and part of Eurasia.

Vesuvius (6,000 - 25,000 casualties)

One of the most famous natural disasters happened in 79 AD. Vesuvius, according to various sources, killed from 6 to 25 thousand ancient Romans. For a long time, this catastrophe was considered a fiction and a hoax by Pliny the Younger. But in 1763, archaeological excavations finally convinced the world of the existence and death, under a layer of ash, of the ancient city of Pompeii. The smoke curtain reached Egypt and Syria. It is reliably known that Vesuvius destroyed three whole cities (also Stabiae and Herculaneum).

The Russian artist Karl Bryullov, who was present at the excavations, was so impressed by the history of Pompeii that he dedicated the most famous painting of Russian painting to the city. Vesuvius still poses a huge danger; it is not without reason that on our website there is an article about the planet itself, in which Vesuvius is given special attention.

Unzen (15,000 dead)

No disaster rating is complete without a country rising sun. The most powerful eruption in Japanese history took place in 1792. The Unzen volcano (actually a complex consisting of four volcanic domes), located on the Shimabara Peninsula, is to blame for the death of 15 thousand inhabitants; it played the role of an intermediary. Unzen, which had been erupting for several months, gradually, as a result of tremors, displaced one of the flanks of the Mayu-Yama dome. A landslide caused by the movement of rock buried 5 thousand inhabitants of the island of Kyushu. The twenty-meter tsunami waves provoked by Unzen caused great casualties (10,000 dead).

Nevado del Ruiz (23,000 - 26,000 victims)

Located in the Colombian Andes, the Ruiz stratovolcano is notorious for causing lahars (a flow of mud from volcanic ash, rock and water). The largest convergence occurred in 1985 and is better known as the “Armero Tragedy.” Why did people remain in such dangerous proximity to the volcano, since even before 1985 lahars were the scourge of the region?

It's all about fertile soils, generously fertilized with volcanic ash. The prerequisites for a future disaster became noticeable a year before the incident. A small mudflow dammed the local river, and magma rose to the surface, but the evacuation never took place.

When a plume of smoke rose from the crater on November 13, local authorities advised against panic. But a small eruption led to the melting of the glacier. Three mud flows, the largest of which reached thirty meters in width, destroyed the city in a matter of hours (23 thousand dead and 3 thousand missing).

Montagne-Pelée (30,000 - 40,000 dead)

1902 brought another deadly eruption on our list. The resort island of Martinique was hit by the awakening stratovolcano Mont Pele. And played again decisive role carelessness of the authorities. Explosions in the crater, which brought down stones on the heads of the inhabitants of Saint-Pierre; The volcanic mud and lava that destroyed the sugar factory on May 2 did not convince the local governor of the seriousness of the situation. He personally persuaded the workers who fled the city to return.

And on May 8 there was an explosion. One of the schooners that entered the harbor decided to leave the port of Saint-Pierre in time. It was the captain of this ship (Roddam) who informed the authorities about the tragedy. A powerful pyroclastic flow covered the city with tremendous speed, and upon reaching the water, it raised a wave that washed away most of the ships in the harbor. In 3 minutes, 28,000 residents were either burned alive or died due to gas poisoning. Many died later from their burns and wounds.

The local prison provided an amazing rescue. The criminal imprisoned in the dungeon was spared both the lava flow and the poisonous smoke.

Krakatoa (36,000 victims)

The most widely known volcanic eruptions are led by Krakatoa, which brought down all its fury in 1883. The destructive power of the Indonesian volcano impressed contemporaries. And today the catastrophe of the late 19th century is included in all encyclopedias and reference books.

An explosion with a power of 200 megatons of TNT (10 thousand times more powerful than during the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima) destroyed an 800-meter mountain and the island on which it was located. The blast wave circled the globe more than 7 times. The sound from Krakatoa (possibly the loudest on the planet) was heard at a distance of more than 4000 km from the eruption site, in Australia and Sri Lanka.

86% of the dead (about 30 thousand people) suffered from a powerful tsunami caused by a raging fiery mountain. The rest were covered in debris from Krakatoa and volcanic debris. The eruption caused global climate changes on the planet. Average annual temperature due to negative impact emitted smoke and ash, fell by more than 1 degree Celsius and recovered to its previous level only after 5 years. Large casualties were avoided due to the low population density of the region.

Since 1950, a new volcano has erupted on the site of the old Krakatoa.

Tambora (50,000 - 92,000 dead)

The diameter of the crater of another Indonesian (who lives on a powder keg) volcano reaches 7,000 meters. This supervolcano (a semi-official term for a volcano capable of causing global climate change) is one of only 20 recognized by scientists as such.

The eruption began according to the usual scenario in such cases - with an explosion. But then an out-of-the-ordinary event happened: a huge fiery whirlwind formed, sweeping away everything in its path. The elements of fire and wind destroyed a village 40 km from the volcano to the ground.

Like Krakatoa, Tambora destroyed not only the civilization around it, but also itself. The tsunami, which occurred 5 days after the start of activity, claimed the lives of 4.5 thousand residents. A column of smoke blocked the sun for three days within a radius of 650 km from the volcano. Electrical discharges over the volcano accompanied the entire period of the eruption, which lasted three months. It claimed the lives of 12 thousand people.

The crew of the ship that arrived on the island with humanitarian aid was horrified by the picture of destruction they saw: the mountain was level with the plateau, the whole of Sumbawa was covered with debris and ash.

But the worst thing began later. As a result of the “nuclear winter,” more than 50 thousand people died from hunger and epidemics. In the United States, climate changes caused by the volcano provoked snow in June, and a typhus epidemic began in Europe. Crop failure and famine accompanied many places on the planet for three years.

Santorini (death of civilization)

The once large mountain and island near Greece, photographed from space, appears as a volcanic crater flooded with the waters of the Aegean Sea. It is impossible to establish, even approximately, the number of deaths from the eruption 3.5 thousand years ago. What is known for certain is that as a result of the eruption of Santorini, the Minoan civilization was completely destroyed. According to various sources, the resulting tsunami reached from 15 to 100 meters in height, covering space at a speed of 200 km/h.

By the way, Santorini is on our list in the world.

There is an assumption that the legendary Atlantis was destroyed by a volcano, which is indirectly confirmed by many sources of the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt. Some Old Testament stories are also associated with the eruption.

And although these versions are still just legends, we should not forget that Pompeii, at one time, was also considered a hoax.

In fact, volcanoes have shaped the appearance of the Earth over millions of years. Here are the most serious volcano-related disasters in human history.

№8 . Experts believe that the largest volcanic eruption that occurred at the dawn of mankind occurred in Sumatra: the volcano Toba erupted 71,000 years ago. Then about 2800 cubic meters were released into the atmosphere. km of ash, which could reduce the human population worldwide to just 10,000 people.

№7. Eruption El Chichon was not particularly large (5 on the VEI scale), with a maximum height of the eruptive column of 29 km. But there was a lot of sulfur in the cloud. In less than one month it surrounded the globe, but six months passed before it spread to 30° N. c, practically not spreading to the Southern Hemisphere. Samples collected by airplanes and balloons showed that the cloud particles were mostly tiny glass beads coated with sulfuric acid. Gradually sticking together, they settled faster on the ground, and after a year the mass of the remaining cloud was reduced to about an ounce from the original one. Absorption of sunlight by cloud particles warmed the equatorial stratosphere by 4° in June 1982, but at ground level in the Northern Hemisphere, temperatures fell by 0.4°.

№6. Lucky , a volcano in Iceland. Laki is a chain of more than 110-115 craters up to 818 m high, stretching for 25 km, centered on the Grimsvötn volcano and including the Eldgja Canyon and the Katla volcano. In 1783-1784, a powerful fissure eruption (6 on the eruption scale) occurred on Laki and the neighboring Grimsvotn volcano, releasing about 15 km³ of basaltic lava over 8 months. The length of the lava flow that erupted from a 25-kilometer fissure exceeded 130 km, and the area covered by it was 565 km². Clouds of toxic fluorine and sulfur dioxide compounds rose into the air, killing more than 50% of Iceland's livestock; Volcanic ash partially or completely covered pastures across most of the island. Huge masses of ice melted by lava led to large-scale floods. A famine began, resulting in the death of approximately 10 thousand people or 20% of the country's population. This eruption is considered one of the most destructive in the last millennium and the largest lava eruption in historical time. Fine ash erupted by the volcano was present in the second half of 1783 over most of Eurasia. The drop in temperature in the northern hemisphere caused by the eruption led to crop failure and famine in Europe in 1784.

№5. Eruption Vesuvius, perhaps the most famous eruption in the world. Vesuvius (Italian Vesuvio, Neap. Vesuvio) is an active volcano in southern Italy, about 15 km from Naples. Located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples in the province of Naples, Campania region. It is part of the Apennine mountain system and has an altitude of 1281 m.

The disaster killed 10,000 people and destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

№4 . In 1883 there was a catastrophic volcanic eruption Krakatoa, which destroyed most of the island of the same name.

The eruption began in May. Until the end of August, a significant amount of rock was removed by explosions, which led to the devastation of the “underground chamber” under Krakatoa. The last powerful explosion of the pre-climax stage occurred at dawn on August 27. The ash column reached a height of 30 km. On August 28, most of the island, under its own weight and the pressure of the water column, collapsed into the voids below sea level, dragging with it a huge mass of ocean water, the contact of which with magma caused a powerful hydromagmatic explosion.

A significant part of the volcanic structure scattered within a radius of up to 500 km. This range of expansion was ensured by the rise of magma and rocks into rarefied layers of the atmosphere, to a height of up to 55 km. The gas-ash column rose into the mesosphere to a height of over 70 km. Ash fall occurred in the eastern part Indian Ocean over an area of ​​over 4 million km². The volume of material ejected by the explosion was about 18 km³. The force of the explosion (6 points on the eruption scale), according to geologists, was no less than 200 thousand times greater than the force of the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima.
The roar of the explosion was clearly audible within a radius of 4 thousand km. On the coasts of Sumatra and Java, the noise level, according to scientists, reached 180 decibels or more.

A significant amount of volcanic ash remained in the atmosphere at altitudes of up to 80 km for several years and caused intense colors of the dawns.
The tsunami raised by the explosion up to 30 m high led to the death of about 36 thousand people on the neighboring islands, 295 cities and villages were washed into the sea. Many of them, before the tsunami approached, were probably destroyed by the air wave, which felled equatorial forests on the coast of the Sunda Strait and tore roofs off houses and doors off their hinges in Jakarta, 150 km from the disaster site. The atmosphere of the entire Earth was disturbed by the explosion for several days. The air wave circled the Earth, according to various sources, from 7 to 11 times.

№3 . For a long time, people believed the Colombian volcano Ruiz if not extinct, then at least dormant. They had reason for this: the last time this volcano erupted was in 1595, and then showed no signs of activity for almost five centuries.

The first signs of Ruiz's awakening became noticeable on November 12, 1985, when ash began to erupt from the crater. At 9 pm on November 13, several explosions occurred and a full-scale eruption began. The height of the column of smoke and rock fragments thrown out by explosions reached 8 meters. Due to the outpouring of lava and the release of hot gases, the temperature increased, as a result of which the snow and ice covering the volcano melted. Late in the evening, a mudflow reached the city of Armero, located 40 kilometers from the volcano, and virtually wiped it off the face of the earth. Several surrounding villages were also destroyed. Oil pipelines and power lines were damaged, bridges were destroyed. Due to downed telephone lines and washed out roads, communication with the affected area was interrupted.

According to official data from the Colombian government, about 23 thousand people died or went missing as a result of the eruption, and another 5 thousand were seriously injured or maimed. Tens of thousands of Colombians lost their homes and property. Coffee plantations were seriously damaged by the eruption: not only the coffee trees themselves were destroyed, but also a significant part of the already harvested crop. Colombia's economy suffered significant damage.

№2. Mont Pele . This eruption, which occurred in 1902 on the island of Martinique, became the strongest in the 20th century. Residents of the city of Saint-Pierre, located in Martinique, located only 8 kilometers from the Mont Pelee volcano, are accustomed to considering this mountain a peaceful neighbor. And, since the last eruption of this volcano, which occurred in 1851, was very weak, they did not pay much attention to the tremors and rumble that began at the end of April 1902. By May, the volcano’s activity intensified, and on May 8, one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century erupted.

At about 8 a.m., Mont Pele erupted. A cloud of ash and rocks was thrown into the air, and a stream of lava rushed towards the city. However, the most terrible thing was not the ash and lava, but the hot volcanic gases that swept through Saint-Pierre at great speed, causing fires. Desperate people tried to escape on the ships standing in the port, but only the steamer Roddan managed to go to sea. Unfortunately, almost all of its crew and passengers died due to burns, leaving only the captain and driver alive.

As a result of the volcanic eruption, the city of Saint-Pierre was almost completely destroyed, and all the people and animals in it died. The Mont Pele eruption killed more than 30 thousand people; Of the city residents, only the criminal who was in the underground prison was able to survive.

Currently, Saint-Pierre has been partially restored, and a museum of volcanology has been built at the foot of Mont Pelée.

№1 Tambora

The first signs of the awakening of the volcano became noticeable back in 1812, when the first streams of smoke appeared over the top of Tambora. Gradually the amount of smoke increased, it became denser and darker. On April 5, 1815, a strong explosion occurred and an eruption began. The noise produced by the volcano was so strong that it was heard even 1,400 kilometers from the scene. The tons of sand and volcanic dust thrown out by Tambora covered the entire area within a radius of one hundred kilometers with a thick layer. Residential buildings not only on the island of Sumbawa, but also on neighboring islands, collapsed under the weight of the ash. The ashes even reached the island of Borneo, located 750 kilometers from Tambora. The amount of smoke and dust in the air was so great that it was night within a radius of 500 kilometers from the volcano for three days. According to eyewitnesses, they did not see anything further than their own hand.

This terrible eruption, which lasted about 10 days, according to conservative estimates, claimed the lives of 50 thousand people. There are data according to which the death toll exceeded 90 thousand. Almost the entire population of Sumbawa was destroyed, and the inhabitants of the neighboring islands suffered severely both from the release of ash and huge stones, and from starvation resulting from the destruction of fields and livestock.

Due to the Tambora eruption, a huge amount of ash and dust accumulated in the Earth's atmosphere, and this had a significant impact on the climate of the entire planet. The year 1816 went down in history as the “year without summer.” Unusually cold temperatures have caused crop failures and famines on the east coast of North America and Europe this year. In some countries, snow remained for most of the summer, and in New York and the northeastern part of the United States, the thickness of the snow cover reached a meter. The effect of this volcanic winter gives an idea of ​​one of the consequences of a possible atomic war - nuclear winter.