The most recent mention of active volcanic activity on the planet occurred on August 16 this year, when a series of mini-earthquakes occurred in the vicinity of the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland. On August 28, the eruption itself began, marked by the outpouring of lava from a long fissure on the Holuhrain lava plateau. It was not as dramatic an eruption as the one that occurred in 2010, when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano emerged from a long hibernation, whose ash prevented flights for two weeks. This time, the pilot of the plane flying by, on the contrary, made a small detour and approached the ash clouds so that the passengers could better see this grandiose phenomenon. The Icelandic meteorological office, in turn, only raised the threat level for air travel to red, without making too much noise out of it. According to James White, a volcanologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, there is little that society can do about large volcanic eruptions, so their rarity is good news.
10. Mount Saint Helena, Washington, USA - 57 victims
On May 18, 1980, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake set off a series of explosions on Mount St. Helena. The process culminated in a violent eruption that released a record wave of rock debris, killing 57 people. In total, the volcanic eruption caused $1 billion in damage to the country, destroying roads, forests, bridges, homes and recreational areas, not to mention logging farms and rural areas. "Indirect loss of life" as a result of this eruption made it one of the worst cataclysms in the world.
9. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo - 70 victims
Nestled in the Virunga Mountains along the Great Rift Valley, Nyiragongo Volcano has erupted at least 34 times since 1882. This active stratovolcano reaches a height of 1100 meters and has a two-kilometer crater filled with a real lake of lava. In January 1977, Nyiragongo began to erupt again, lava flowing down its slopes at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, killing 70 people. The next eruption occurred in 2002, when lava flows headed for the city of Goma and the shores of Lake Kivu, fortunately no one was hurt this time. Scientists believe that the increased level of volcanism in the district has caused the supersaturation of Lake Kivu with carbon dioxide to a dangerous level.
8 Pinatubo, Philippines - 800 victims
Located in the Cabusilan Mountains on the island of Luzon, Mount Pinatubo has been dormant for over 450 years. In June 1991, when the danger of this volcano was already forgotten, and its slopes were covered with dense vegetation, he suddenly woke up. Fortunately, timely monitoring and forecasts made it possible to safely evacuate most of the population, however, 800 people died as a result of this eruption. It was so strong that its effects were felt all over the world. A layer of sulfuric acid vapor settled in the planet's atmosphere for some time, which caused a decrease in world temperature by 12 degrees Celsius in 1991-1993.
7. Kelud, East Java, Indonesia - 5,000 victims
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Kelud Volcano has erupted over 30 times since 1000 AD. One of its deadliest eruptions occurred in 1919. More than 5,000 people died from hot and fast-moving mudflows. The volcano later erupted in 1951, 1966 and 1990, causing a total of 250 deaths. In 2007, 30,000 people were evacuated after his awakening, and two weeks later there was a huge explosion that destroyed the top of the mountain. Dust, ashes and rock fragments covered the nearby villages. The last eruption of this volcano occurred on February 13, 2014, when 76,000 people were evacuated. Emission of volcanic ash covered an area of 500 square kilometers.
6 Laki Volcanic System, Iceland - 9,000 Victims
Iceland is a sparsely populated country located between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Circle and is famous for its waterfalls, fjords, volcanoes and glaciers. Iceland got its nickname "Land of Fire and Ice" for the reason that there is a whole system consisting of 30 active volcanoes. The reason for this is the location of the island on the border of the collision of two tectonic plates. We all remember the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010, when thousands of tons of ash and debris darkened the sky over the island and air travel over Europe was banned for several weeks. However, this eruption pales in comparison to the 1784 eruption in the Laki volcanic system. It lasted eight months, spewing more than 14.7 cubic kilometers of lava and releasing an incredible amount of harmful gases into the atmosphere, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and fluoride. A cloud of toxins rained down in acid rain, poisoning livestock and spoiling the soil, and also caused the death of 9,000 people.
5. Mount Unzen, Japan - 12,000 to 15,000 victims
Located near the city of Shimabara, in Nagasaki Prefecture, on the Japanese island of Kyushu, Mount Unzen is part of a group of intersecting stratovolcanoes. In 1792, Mount Unzen began to erupt. A huge explosion generated an earthquake that caused the eastern part of the dome of the volcano to break, resulting in a huge tsunami. On that memorable day, from 12 to 15 thousand people died. This eruption is considered the deadliest in the history of Japan. Mount Unzen subsequently erupted again in 1990, 1991 and 1995. In 1991, 43 people died, including three volcanologists.
4. Vesuvius, Italy - 16,000 to 25,000 victims
Located 9 kilometers east of Naples, Mount Vesuvius is one of the most infamous volcanoes in the world. The reason for its notoriety was the eruption in 79 AD, which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The lava flow then reached 20 miles in length and consisted of molten rocks, pumice, stones and ash. The amount of thermal energy released during this eruption was 100,000 times greater than the energy released during the bombing of Hiroshima. Some estimates put the death toll at between 16,000 and 25,000. The last eruption of Vesuvius occurred in 1944. Today, Mount Vesuvius is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, since more than 3 million people live in its vicinity.
3. Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia - 25,000 victims
Nevado del Ruiz, also known as La Massa de Jurveo, is a stratovolcano located in Colombia. It is located 128 kilometers west of Bogotá. It differs from an ordinary volcano in that it consists of many alternating layers of lava, hardened volcanic ash and pyroclastic rocks. Nevado del Ruiz is widely known for its deadly mudflows that can bury entire cities under them. This volcano erupted three times: in 1595, 635 people died as a result of falling into a hot mudflow, in 1845 1,000 people died, and in 1985, which turned out to be the deadliest, more than 25,000 people died. Such a large number of victims is explained by the fact that on the path of the lava flow, rushing at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour, the village of Armero arose.
2. Peli, West Indies - 30,000 victims
Pelee volcano is located on the northern tip of Martinique. Until recently, it was considered a dormant volcano. However, a series of eruptions that began on April 25, 1902 and ended with an explosion on May 8 proved otherwise. This eruption has been called the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. Pyroclastic flows destroyed the city of Saint-Pierre - the largest on the island. More than 30,000 people died as a result of this disaster. According to some reports, only two of the inhabitants of the city survived: one of them was a prisoner whose cell turned out to be poorly ventilated, and the second was a young girl who hid in a small boat in a small cave near the shore. She was later found drifting in the ocean, two miles from Martinique.
1. Tambora, Indonesia - 92,000 victims
The Tambora volcano erupted on April 10, 1816, killing 92,000 people. The volume of lava, which amounted to more than 38 cubic miles, is considered the largest in the history of all eruptions. Before the eruption, Mount Tambora reached 4 kilometers in height, after which its height decreased to 2.7 kilometers. This volcano is considered not only the deadliest of all, but also had the strongest impact on the Earth's climate. As a result of the eruption, the planet was hidden from the rays of the Sun for a whole year. The eruption was so significant that it caused a number of weather anomalies around the world: it snowed in New England in June, there was a crop failure everywhere, and livestock died in the entire Northern Hemisphere as a result of famine. This phenomenon has become widely known under the name "volcanic winter".
Which can be distinguished in the history of existence are eruptions on the volcanic island of Krakatau, and the volcanoes Temboro and Katmai. These volcanic eruptions reached extraordinary strength and were accompanied by a huge number of human casualties.
Eruption on the volcanic island of Krakatoa
In terms of strength of action, the eruption that occurred on September 7-9, 1883 on an uninhabited the volcanic island of Krakatoa located to the west of the entrance to the Sunda Strait. This island, together with the nearby islets - Ferlaten and Dang - was the remnant of an ancient volcano up to two kilometers high with a base diameter of 13 kilometers. Krakatoa shook the world with the greatest explosion that man has ever known. The eruption blew up and swept away most of the island with an area of about 75 square kilometers. In its place, sea depths of up to 360 meters were formed. The eruption began at noon on 7 September. Volcano Krakatau. There were no direct eyewitnesses of the disaster, as the entire population of Sobezi Island, located almost 20 kilometers from Krakatau, died. At about one in the afternoon in the city of Batavia (now Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia on the island of Java), located at a distance of 178 kilometers from Krakatoa, a menacing rumble was heard. At night, he reached such strength that people could not sleep. By the morning of the next day, the sky cleared up somewhat, but soon an impenetrable darkness set in, lasting 18 hours. Around 10 am, the eruption reached its greatest strength. The ash column is believed to have risen to 30 kilometers. Clouds of ash covered ships at a considerable distance from the island. A strong storm broke out on the sea - huge waves drowned and threw ashore small ships. The blast wave was especially strongly felt in Jakarta: in many houses, not only windowpanes burst and lamps went out, but even window frames were pressed in and walls collapsed. The roar of the explosion was clearly audible not only in Australia, on the island of Ceylon, the Philippine Islands, but even on the island of Rodrigues (from the Maecaren Islands group), that is, at a distance of about 5000 kilometers from Krakatoa. In New York, 19 thousand kilometers away, fluctuations of the barometer were noted from the awakened volcano due to the propagation of the blast wave. The waters of the ocean began to move. A wave of extraordinary height (up to 36 meters) swept thousands of kilometers, washing away villages from the islands and killing tens of thousands of people. On the islands of the Sunda Strait and on its shores, about 36 thousand people died during this disaster. On the shores of Sumatra and Java, vegetation was washed away in many places, trees torn out by the wind, the corpses of people and animals were lying around, the earth was covered with mud and ash. Even on the island of Ceylon, at a distance of about 3,000 kilometers from Krakatoa, the wave washed away the fishermen in the shallows. The wave, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, reached the shores of France and the British Isles and caused sea tides of extraordinary strength. In the eastern direction, the wave reached the coast of North America from Panama to Alaska. The masses erupted by the volcano consisted mainly of fine ash and pumice. On the islands closest to Krakatau, a layer up to 40 meters thick grew from these volcanic products. The ash thrown out by the explosion spread over a huge area equal to about half of our country. The total volume of volcanic ash was determined by scientists at approximately 18 cubic kilometers. For a long time, especially in the winter of 1883 and in the spring of 1884, morning and evening dawns in Europe and America were exceptionally colorful. The unusual color of the sun, the reddish ring around its disk and the fiery purple brilliance of the dawn were explained by the presence in the atmosphere of finely divided ash particles raised to a height of up to 80 kilometers. A huge amount of pumice was also thrown out. After the eruption, accumulations of pumice covered the surface of the ocean and in places it formed standing floating islands that towered 2 meters above the water. So much pumice had accumulated in the Sunda Strait that it hindered the movement of steamers. One Dutch warship crashed into a pumice field, and was stuck like that for six days, until the waves dispersed the accumulations of pumice. In 1927, after a rest of forty-four years, the almost disappeared Krakatau volcano resumed its activity again: a new volcanic island, Anak-Krakatau, appeared on the site of the former crater.Tembora volcano eruption
The area of the Sunda Islands has been the area of terrible volcanic eruptions more than once. An exceptional place in terms of the strength of action and the number of victims (over 56 thousand human lives) is occupied by Tembora volcano eruption in 1815 on the island of Sumbawa (from the group of the Sunda Islands, east of the island of Java). The eruption continued for several days. When it reached its greatest strength, impenetrable darkness for three days kept around the volcano in a radius of over 800 kilometers. The noise of the eruption was heard not only on the large and small Sunda Islands, but even on the northwestern coast of Australia (over 1000 kilometers from the volcano).
Volcano Tambora. Much of Sumbawa Island was covered in a thick layer of ash. Even the stone buildings collapsed under its weight. A flourishing country has turned into a gray dead desert. 12 thousand people died on the island, 44 thousand people died under the ashes, as well as from starvation (due to the death of crops and livestock feed). Ashes flew even to Jakarta (1300 kilometers from the volcano) and to the island of Celebes. Pumice covered the ocean for great distances, preventing the movement of ships. Terrible disasters were caused, in addition, by a hurricane that raged on the ocean when the volcanic eruption reached its greatest strength. Waves of extraordinary height rushed to the earth and, although they raged for only three minutes, their effect was terrible. Forests and entire villages were demolished, a spinning tornado uprooted trees, captured individual buildings, animals and people. It is believed that the amount of volcanic products ejected by the Temboro volcano was at least 120 cubic kilometers, i.e., approximately six and a half times more than Krakatoa threw out. After the Temboro eruption, crimson-red sunsets were observed in Europe, in addition, the influence of the eruption on the climate was noted, which gave a noticeable decrease in the average temperatures of the months (and the year). According to the definition of contemporaries, it was "a year without summer", "a disastrous year for rural owners." Katmai volcano eruption
One of the volcanoes in Alaska - Katmai reminiscent of the nature of the eruption. An exceptionally strong eruption of this volcano, which lasted about two months, occurred in the summer of 1912. As a result of several successive explosions, the top of the volcanic cone was completely swept away. In its place, as further research established, a gloomy failure formed almost 1000 meters deep with a diameter of about two kilometers. It is believed that the volcano ejected about 20 cubic kilometers of solid eruption products. The area closest to Katmai was covered with a layer of sand and ash up to three meters thick. When it rained from the ashes, the surroundings of the volcano were immersed in impenetrable darkness for almost three days.
Volcano Katmai. Everything has changed unrecognizably in the nearest district of Katmai: where there were dense centuries-old forests, a lifeless plain spread, only in many places jets of vapors and gases rose from under the layer of ash. This area is called - "the valley of ten thousand smokes." Katmai is located in a deserted area, which is why its eruptions cost, as far as is known, without significant human casualties. Add theme the strongest volcanic eruptions You can read articles: Today we will talk about the most destructive volcanoes in the history of mankind.
The eruption attracts us, frightens and fascinates at the same time. Beauty, entertainment, spontaneity, a huge danger to 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.
VESUVIUS.
The most famous active volcano is Vesuvius. It is located on the coast 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 quiet giant. A huge number of people are daily at risk of being buried under a thick layer of lava.
The last eruption that managed to wipe out two Italian cities from the face of the Earth happened quite recently, in the midst of World War II. However, the eruption of 1944 cannot be compared with the events of August 24, 79 AD in terms of the scale of the catastrophe. The devastating consequences of that day stagger our imagination to this day. The eruption lasted more than a day, during which the ash and mud ruthlessly destroyed the glorious city of Pompeii.
Until that moment, the locals were unaware of the impending danger, they were let down by a very familiar attitude to the formidable Vesuvius, as to an ordinary mountain. The volcano gave them fertile soil rich in minerals. Abundant harvests caused the city to quickly populate, develop, gain some prestige and even become a resting place for the then aristocracy. Soon a drama theater and one of the largest amphitheaters in Italy were built. Time later, the region gained fame as the most calm and prosperous place on the whole Earth. Could people have guessed that ruthless lava would cover this flowering area? That the rich potential of this region will never be realized? What will wipe off the face of the Earth all its beauty, accomplishment, cultural development?
The first push that should have alerted the inhabitants was a strong earthquake, as a result of which many buildings in Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed. However, people who arranged their life so well were in no hurry to leave their settled place. Instead, they restored buildings in an even more luxurious, new style. From time to time there were minor earthquakes, to which no one paid much attention. This then became their fatal mistake. Nature itself gave signs of the 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 escape within the walls of their homes. At night, the volcano finally woke up. People fled to the sea, but the lava caught up with them near the shore. Soon their fate was decided - almost everyone ended his life under a thick layer of lava, mud and ash.
The next day, the elements ruthlessly attacked Pompeii. Most of the townspeople, whose number reached 20 thousand, managed to leave the city even before the start of the disaster, 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 magnitude of the catastrophe by referring to the work of the Russian painter Karl Bryullov.
Santorini is an active shield volcano located on the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea. Its strongest eruption of 1645-1600 BC. e. caused the death of the 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 eruptions of Krakatoa, and is equal to seven points!
Of course, such a strong explosion managed not only to reshape the landscape, but also to 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, whose center of culture was the island of Thira, is shrouded in mystery. The earthquake warned local residents about the impending disaster, they left their native land in time. When a huge amount of ash and pumice came out of the interior of the volcano, the volcanic cone collapsed under its own gravity. Sea water rushed into the abyss, which formed a huge tsunami that washed away nearby settlements. There was no more Mount Santorini. A huge oval abyss, the caldera of the volcano, was forever filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea.
Recently, researchers have found that the volcano has become more active. Almost 14 million cubic meters of magma has accumulated in it - it seems that Sentorin can reassert itself!
UNZEN
For the Japanese, the Unzen volcanic complex, which consists of four domes, has become a real synonym for disaster. 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 that returned to Shimabara. The tragedy is forever imprinted in the hearts of the Japanese people. Helplessness before the raging elements, the pain from the loss of a huge number of people was immortalized in numerous monuments that we can observe on the territory of Japan.
After this terrible event, Unzen calmed down for almost two centuries. But in 1991 there was another eruption. 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 the close supervision of scientists.
TAMBOR
The Tambora Volcano is located on the island of Sumbawa. Its 1815 eruption is considered to be the most powerful eruption in human history. Perhaps, during the existence of the Earth, stronger eruptions occurred, but we have no information about this.
So, in 1815, nature raged in earnest: an eruption occurred with a magnitude of 7 on the intensity scale of the eruption (explosive force) of the volcano, the maximum value is 8. The disaster shook 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 destroyed! Places with once fertile soil turned into a lifeless space, resulting in a terrible famine. Thus, 48 thousand people died of starvation 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 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.
KRAKATAU
Krakatay 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.
The volcano before the eruption of 1883 was much higher and was one large island. However, the 1883 eruption destroyed the island and the volcano. On the morning of August 27, Krakatau fired four powerful shots, each of which caused a powerful tsunami. Huge masses of water poured into the settlements at such a speed that the inhabitants did not have time to climb the 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 the dead! The rest fell under volcanic debris, ash and gas. The total number of victims was 36.5 thousand people.
Most of the island was submerged. The 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. Ejected into the atmosphere, volcanic debris 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.
MON PELE
30 thousand people died as a result of the powerful eruption of the Mont Pele volcano, which is located in 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 West Indian Paris, in the construction of which the French invested all their knowledge and strength.
The volcano began its inactive activity 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, it became only a part of a beautiful natural landscape and served for the inhabitants rather as an ornament to their area. Despite this, when in the spring of 1902 Mont-Peleis began to broadcast danger with shocks and a column of smoke, the townspeople did not hesitate. Sensing trouble, they decided to flee in time: some sought refuge in the mountains, some in the water.
Their determination was seriously affected by the huge number of snakes that crawled down the slopes of Mont Pele and filled the entire city. Victims from bites, then from a boiled lake, which was not far from the crater, overflowed its banks and poured into the northern part of the city in a huge stream - all this confirmed the inhabitants in 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 the townspeople at such an important political event. He took the necessary measures to ensure that the population did not leave the territory of the city, he personally persuaded the residents to stay. As a result, most of them did not attempt to escape, the fugitives 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 the slopes of Mont Pele and ... swept away everything in its path. In one minute, this amazing, flourishing town was completely destroyed. Factories, houses, trees, people - everything was melted, torn out, poisoned, burned, torn to pieces. It is believed that the death of the unfortunate came in the first three minutes. Of the 30 thousand inhabitants, only two were lucky enough to stay alive.
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 was heard, which led to the death of thousands of residents of nearby villages. Mont Pele erupted several more times until 1905, after which it fell into hibernation until 1929, when a rather powerful eruption occurred, however, without any victims.
Today, the volcano is considered inactive, Saint-Pierre is recovering, but after these terrible events, he has little chance of regaining the status of the most beautiful city of Martinique.
NEVADO DEL RUIS
Due to its impressive height (5400m.), Nevado del Ruiz is considered to be 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 areas of Caldas and Tolima.
Nevado del Ruiz ranks among the deadliest volcanoes in the world for a reason. The eruptions that led to mass death have already occurred three times. In 1595, over 600 people were buried under the ashes. In 1845, as a result of a strong earthquake, 1 thousand inhabitants died.
And, finally, in 1985, when the volcano was already considered dormant, 23 thousand people fell victims. 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 inhabitants of nearby territories are daily at risk of becoming a victim of a new eruption.
So, in 1985, the crater of the volcano threw out powerful gas-pyroclastic flows. Because of them, the ice on the summit melted, which led to the formation of lahars - volcanic flows that instantly moved down the slopes. This avalanche of water, clay, pumice crushed everything in its path. Destroying rocks, soil, plants and absorbing all this into themselves, 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, epidemics of 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 groans - that's what appeared before the eyes of the rescuers who arrived the next day.
To understand the full horror of the tragedy, let's take a look at the famous photograph of the journalist Frank Fournier. On it, 13-year-old Omaira Sanchez, who, being 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, old people were taken by the raging elements.
TOBA
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 almost imperceptible, you can see it only from space. We can be on the surface of this kind of volcano for thousands of years, and learn about its existence only at the time of the catastrophe. It is worth noting that if an ordinary fire-breathing mountain erupts, then a similar supervolcano has an explosion.
The eruption of Toba, which occurred during the last ice age, 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 in 7 thousand km. from a volcano on the territory of the African lake Nyasa.
As a result of the fact that the volcano threw out a huge amount of ash, the sun was closed. It was a real volcanic winter that lasted for several years.
The number of people was sharply reduced - only a few thousand people managed to survive! It is with the explosion of Toba that the “bottleneck” effect is associated - the theory according to which in ancient times the human population was genetically diverse, but most of the people died out sharply as a result of a natural disaster, thus reducing the gene pool.
EL CHICHON
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 also not relevant because the territories adjacent to the volcano were rich in dense forests, which indicated that El Chichon had long hibernated. However, on March 28, 1982, after 12 hundred years of peaceful sleep, the fire-breathing mountain showed all its 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 thrown into the atmosphere, strong ashfalls took place around the volcano. About 2 thousand people died. It should be noted that the evacuation of the population was poorly organized, the process was slow. Many residents left the territory, but after a while they returned, which, of course, had terrible consequences for them.
In May of the same year, the next eruption occurred, which turned out to be 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.
On this element was not going to stop. Two more Plinian eruptions fell to the lot of local residents, giving rise to a 29-kilometer column of ash. The number of victims again reached a thousand people.
The consequences of the eruption affected the climate of the country. A huge cloud of ash covered 240 square kilometers, in the capital, visibility was only a few meters. Due to the ash particles hanging in the layers of the stratosphere, a noticeable cooling set in.
In addition, the natural balance was disturbed. Many birds and animals were destroyed. Some species of insects began to grow rapidly, which led to the destruction of most of the crop.
LUCKY
The shield volcano Laki is located in the south of Iceland in the Skaftafell Park (since 2008 it has been part of the Vatnajökull National Park). 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 occurred, which set a world record in terms of the number of human casualties! In Iceland alone, almost 20,000 lives were cut short - 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 the inhabitants of the impending danger as best he could. Seismic shifts, uplifting of the land, raging geysers, explosions of pillars up, 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, frightened them, but no one attempted to escape. People were sure that their dwellings were strong enough to protect them from the eruption. They sat at home, tightly locking the windows and doors.
In January, the formidable neighbor made itself felt. He raged flesh until June. During these six months of eruptions, Mount Skaptar-Yekul split and a huge 24-meter crevice formed. Harmful gases came out and formed a powerful lava flow. Imagine how many such streams there were - hundreds of craters erupted! When the streams reached the sea, the lava solidified, but the water boiled, all the fish within a radius of several kilometers from the coast died.
Sulfur dioxide covered the entire territory of Iceland, which led to acid rain, the destruction of vegetation. As a result, agriculture suffered greatly, hunger and disease fell upon the surviving inhabitants.
Soon the "Hungry Haze" reached all of Europe, and a few years later to China. The climate has changed, the dust particles do not let the rays of the sun through, the summer has not come. Temperatures dropped by 1.3 ºC, leading to cold-related deaths, crop failures and famine in many European countries. The eruption left its mark even on Africa. Due to abnormal cold weather, the temperature contrast was minimal, which led to a decrease in monsoon activity, drought, shallowing of the Nile, and crop failure. Africans were starving en masse.
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, not far from the cities of Messina and Catania. Its circumference is 140 km and covers an area of approximately 1.4 thousand square meters. km.
Approximately 140 powerful eruptions of this volcano have been counted in modern times. In 1669 Catania was destroyed. In 1893, the Silvestri crater arose. In 1911 the northeast crater formed. In 1992 a huge lava flow stopped near Zafferana Etnea. The last time the volcano splashed out lava 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 bowels of the earth, it is impossible to predict when, where and with what power the next eruption will occur.
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 rather restless volcano: it has erupted 68 times since 1548!
Close proximity to such an active fire-breathing mountain is very dangerous. But, as is usually the case in economically underdeveloped countries, the locals, without thinking about the risk, appreciate the benefit that mineral-rich soil gives them - abundant harvests. So, about 1.5 million people currently live near Marapi.
Strong eruptions occur every 7 years, smaller ones every couple of years, the volcano smokes almost daily. Catastrophe 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.
16/04/2010
Experts warn that the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjaldaeküll will reach St. Petersburg in the evening. The chances of citizens to watch the show are small - it is too high. But the consequences of the eruption hit air traffic in the countries of Northern Europe hard. Cancellation of flights to Europe began in St. Petersburg.
1.
Vesuvius, Italy, August 24, 79
The eruption destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. Ash from Vesuvius flew to Egypt and Syria.
Contrary to popular belief, most of the inhabitants of Pompeii left the city before the disaster, out of 20 thousand inhabitants in buildings and on the streets, 2 thousand died. Among the dead is the scientist Pliny the Elder, who, out of scientific interest, approached the volcano on a ship and found himself at the epicenter of the disaster.
In total, more than 80 eruptions of Vesuvius are known, the last occurred in 1944. Vesuvius is the only active Volcano in continental Europe.
2.
Tambora, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, April 5-7, 1815
The largest eruption in modern history in terms of the number of human casualties (92 thousand people died during the disaster and the famine that followed) and the impact on the Earth's climate (ash clouds blocked the sun's rays, which led to a decrease in temperature). As a result, the Tambor culture was completely destroyed, with which the Europeans met just a few years before its death.
3.
Taupo, New Zealand, about 27,000 years ago
According to geologists, the last eruption that surpassed Tambora was a volcanic eruption in New Zealand, which led to the formation of Lake Taupo. Today the lake is one of the most beautiful and popular tourist destinations.
4.
Krakatau, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, Indonesia, August 27, 1883
The largest volcanic explosion in modern history. The tsunami he caused washed away 163 villages (36,380 people died). The roar from the explosion was heard on 8% of the Earth's territory, pieces of lava were thrown into the air to a height of 55 km, and volcanic ash blown away by the wind fell 5330 km from the eruption site in 10 days (approximate distance between Reykjavik and Karaganda).
5.
Santorini, Greece, circa 1450 B.C. e.
The volcanic eruption on the island of Thera led to the death of the Cretan civilization: volcanic sulfur covered all the fields and put an end to agriculture.
There is a version that the island of Thera is the Atlantis described by Plato. There is another version: the pillar of fire that Moses saw is the eruption of Santorin, and the parted sea is a consequence of the island of Thera being submerged in water.
In 1886 (already AD), the eruptions of Santorin continued for a whole year, pieces of lava flying out of the sea rose up to 500 meters. As a result, several new islands appeared.
6.
Etna, Sicily, Italy, 1928
About 200 eruptions of Mount Etna are known, including quite powerful ones: the eruption of 1169 led to the death of 15 thousand people. Etna is an active volcano, about once every 150 years it destroys a village to the ground. But the frozen lava makes the soil fertile, so the Sicilians continue to settle on the slopes of the mountain. Moreover, in 1928 a miracle happened: the flow of red-hot lava stopped in front of the Catholic procession. In 1930, a chapel was erected on this site, and 30 years later the lava stopped in front of the chapel.
In 1981, the regional government in Palermo created a nature reserve around Etna.
7.
Montagne Pele, Martinique, May 8, 1902
In April 1902, an eruption began in Martinique, and on May 8, a cloud of red-hot lava, vapors and gases covered the city of Saint-Pierre. Within minutes, the city was destroyed. Of the 17 ships that were in the harbor, only one managed to be saved. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants who were in the city, two escaped, including Opost Siparis, who was sentenced to death. The powerful stone walls of the death row saved the convict. The governor pardoned Siparis and he traveled around the world for hundreds of years, talking about what had happened.
Napoleon's wife, Josephine Beauharnais, was born in Saint-Pierre.
8.
Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, November 13, 1985
The main blow fell on the city of Armero located 50 km from the mountain, which was destroyed in 10 minutes. Of the 28,700 inhabitants, 21,000 died. Volcanologists warned people in advance about the catastrophe, but since their predictions turned out to be wrong several times, the scientists were not believed.
9.
Pinatubo, Philippines, June 12, 1991
The volcano was considered extinct, silent for 611 years. The 1991 eruption claimed the lives of 875 people, and also destroyed the US Air Force strategic base, located 18 km from Pinatubo, and the US naval base.
The eruption led to a decrease in temperature by 0.5 C and a reduction in the ozone layer, in particular, to the formation of an ozone hole over Antarctica.
10.
Katmai, Alaska, June 6, 1912
One of the largest eruptions of the 20th century. The column of ash rose 20 km, the sound was heard for 1200 km in the capital of Alaska, Juneau. A lake with a diameter of 1.5 km formed on the site of the crater - the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Reserve, formed in 1980.
10 biggest volcanic eruptions in history
I want to bring to your attention the 10 largest volcanic eruptions, which were recorded and evaluated by a special scale - the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI).
This scale was developed in the 80s, it includes a lot of factors, such as the volume of the eruption, speed, and others. The scale includes 8 levels, each of which is 10 times greater than the previous one, that is, a level 3 eruption is 10 times stronger than a level 2 eruption.
The last level 8 eruption took place on earth more than 10,000 years ago, but in the history of mankind there were still powerful emissions. I offer you the TOP of the 10 largest volcanic eruptions over the past 4000 years.
1. Huaynaputina, Peru, 1600, VEI 6
This volcano created the largest eruption in South America in the history of mankind. The momentary release instantly created several mudflows that headed towards the Pacific coast. Due to the ash thrown into the air, the summer in South America was one of the coldest in half a millennium. The eruption destroyed the nearby cities, which were restored only a century later.
2. Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia, 1883, VEI 6
All summer long, a powerful roar inside the mountain foreshadowed the eruption that occurred on April 26-27. During the eruption, the volcano threw out tons of ash, rocks and lava, the mountain was heard for thousands of kilometers. In addition, a sharp shock created a forty-meter wave, even on another continent, wave increases were registered. The eruption killed 34,000 people.
3. Santa Maria Volcano, Guatemala 1902, VEI 6
The eruption of this volcano was one of the largest in the 20th century. A sharp push of the volcano sleeping for 500 years formed a crater one and a half kilometers wide. The volcano claimed the lives of hundreds of people.
4. Novarupta Volcano, Alaska Peninsula, June 1912, VEI 6
This volcano is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and was the largest eruption of the 20th century. The powerful explosion sent 12.5 cubic kilometers of ash and magma into the air.
5. Mount Pinatubo, Luzon, Philippines, 1991, VEI 6
The eruption threw out so much ash that the roofs of nearby houses collapsed under its weight. In addition to ash, the volcano threw other substances into the air, which lowered the planet's temperature by half a degree for a year.
6. Ambrim Island, Republic of Vanuatu, 50 AD, VEI 6+
One of the largest eruptions in history occurred on this small island. To this day, this volcano remains one of the most active in the world. The eruption formed calderas 12 km wide.
7. Ilopango Volcano, El Salvador, 450 AD, VEI 6+
Although this mountain is only a few miles from the capital, San Salvador, it has created an incredible eruption in the past. It destroyed all the Mayan settlements and covered a third of the country with ash. Trade routes were destroyed, and the entire civilization was forced to move to the lowlands. Now in the crater is one of the largest lakes in El Salvador.
8. Mount Thera, Greece, circa 1610 BC, VEI 7
Archaeologists believe that the force of the eruption of this volcano is comparable to several hundred nuclear bombs. If there were inhabitants here, they either fled or died under irresistible force. The volcano not only raised huge Tsunamis and lowered the temperature of the planet with huge clouds of sulfur, but also changed the climate in general.
9. Changbaishan volcano, China-Korea border, 1000 AD, VEI 7
The eruption was so strong that the ash deposit was even in the north of Japan. Huge craters over a thousand years have turned into lakes that are popular with tourists. Scientists suggest that still unexplored creatures live in the depths of the lakes.
10. Mount Tambora, Sumbawa Islands, Indonesia, 1815, VEI 7
The eruption of the Tambora volcano is the most powerful in the history of mankind. The mountain roared so loudly that it was heard for 1200 miles. In total, about 71,000 people died, and ash clouds covered many hundreds of kilometers around.