Most Devastating Volcanic Eruptions in History

Mount Tambora holds the record for causing the most powerful volcanic blast in the last 10,000 years. Producing a 3.7-mile-wide caldera — the crater formed by the collapse of a volcano’s center — the eruption was heard 1,200 miles away and sent ash and magma spewing over 10 miles high, in what is known as a plinian eruption column. It is estimated that the blast and subsequent environmental fallout killed 100,000 people.

Although the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in 1985 did not produce a massive blast, the subsequent mudflow buried the town of Armero, killing more than 23,000 people. According to the International Disaster Database, in addition to being the fourth-deadliest eruption in history, it is the most expensive volcanic eruption ever, causing about $1 billion in damages.

The third-deadliest volcanic eruption in history, as well as the deadliest of the 20th century, the eruption of Mount Pelée killed 30,000 people and cost its community about $50 million. The pyroclastic surge destroyed the city of St. Pierre, leaving very few survivors.

This eight-month-long eruption from the Lakagí­gar fissure in Iceland emitted enough sulfur dioxide to cause global temperatures to drop, leading to widespread famine in western Europe and Egypt. The poison gasses killed the majority of Iceland’s livestock, as well as ruining crops and leading to the deaths of about 10,000 Icelanders.

This blast on the Indonesian island of Lombok most likely had a VEI of 7 — comparable to the devastating eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 — and destroyed the city of Pamatan. The emissions and aerosols that entered the atmosphere are thought to have caused climate changes that led to famine around the world and may also have contributed to triggering the so-called Little Ice Age.

Prior to its eruption in 1951, residents of the surrounding Oro Province didn’t know that Mount Lamington was a volcano. Starting in mid-January, the volcano emitted multiple blasts — including a massive explosion on January 21 — that killed more than 3,000 people and continuously hampered rescue efforts in the area.

The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, Novarupta had a VEI of 6 and ejected over three cubic miles of ash and magma during its 60-hour eruption. Fortunately, the remote location of the volcano meant minimal damage to human settlements and no deaths. Some native Alaskan villages, however, were abandoned and relocated due to ash fall.

With a VEI of 7, the eruption of Paektu Mountain was one of the largest in recorded history. The massive blast ejected over 24 cubic miles of debris, and created a caldera that now contains a 3.79-square-mile lake. Although the event temporarily altered the weather in neighboring Manchuria, evidence suggests that the eruption did not have drastic effects on the world climate.

The 1888 eruption and collapse of Ritter Island — a steep-sided cone which is estimated to have been originally over 2,500 feet tall — left only a small crescent of land jutting out above the water. It is the largest volcanic island collapse ever recorded. A massive tsunami followed the eruption and wiped out coastal areas on multiple surrounding islands.

Mount Pinatubo’s massive VEI 6 eruption sent debris as high as 15 miles and ash up to 25 miles into the atmosphere. Pyroclastic flow filled in many river valleys, and typhoon rains mixed with debris, causing mudslides and collapsing roofs. Although the main eruption didn’t occur until June 15, seismic activity in the area during the previous months led to evacuation efforts before the blast that saved tens of thousands of lives.

One of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in European history, the VEI 5 eruption of Mount Vesuvius spewed superheated debris and gas 21 miles into the stratosphere, and sent out waves of heat and ash that buried multiple cities and incinerated the surrounding area. Many victims of the blast died instantaneously of thermal shock.

This eruption of the Aegean island of Thera destroyed a Bronze Age Minoan city and caused tsunamis that devastated coastlines as far away as Crete. With a single blast as strong as hundreds of atomic bombs, the Minoan eruption caused a volcanic winter that may have been responsible for crop failures and famine as far away as Egypt and China.

The largest eruption in South American history, this blast killed 1,500 people and decimated the surrounding area, burying over a dozen villages under volcanic rock. It also drastically affected the earth’s climate, possibly contributing to the Little Ice Age, and causing cold waves and crop failures as far as Europe and Asia.

This eruption destroyed the island of Krakatoa and led to hurricane-force winds and tsunamis that killed 36,000 people and wiped out multiple villages, reaching as far as South Africa. The explosions were heard as far away as Australia and on islands in the Indian Ocean.

The eruption that formed Lake Ilopango also emitted massive pyroclastic flows that wiped out numerous Mayan cities and may have been responsible for the civilization’s relocation to Guatemala. The ash and pumice fallout likely made agriculture in the area impossible for decades following the eruption.

Although Mount Galunggung has erupted several times since, its first recorded eruption occurred in 1822. Pyroclastic flow and mud destroyed more than 100 villages and killed more than 4,000 people.

After lying dormant for centuries, the Santa Maria volcano erupted when a series of earthquakes hit Central America in 1902. The VEI 6 eruption emitted nearly two cubic miles of magma as well as volcanic ash that reached as far as San Francisco. It is estimated that 6,000 people died as a result of the blast.

In the deadliest eruption in Japanese history, Mount Unzen killed 15,000 people when a landslide created by the collapse of its dome buried the city of Shimbara, then crashed into Ariake Bay, causing a megatsunami that further devastated the surrounding area.

The first eruption of Mt. Papandayan occurred in 1772, when a section of the mountaintop collapsed and the ensuing avalanche decimated 40 villages and killed 3,000 people. The volcano is currently a tourist attraction containing bubbling mud vents and four large craters that emit gasses and steam.