Volcanic eruption in human history. Largest volcanic eruptions

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 under tons volcanic ash famous city Pompeii. According to various sources, from 6,000 to 25,000 Romans died as a result of the cataclysm.

Interesting! 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, awoke, which is also called simply a crater, since it belongs to mountain system 25 km long 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 of livestock, which led to famine and the subsequent death of about 10,000 people. It is with clouds of toxic smoke that the most dangerous consequences activity of Lucky, which reached all the way to China and African continent. They called 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)

It is still located on the Japanese island of Shimabara active volcano Unzen. 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 complete absence hot lava. Volcanic flows consist only of ash, rocks and gases with a temperature of about 800°C. For last decades Many small explosions were 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 to the local population don’t panic, as it turned out, it was 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, which move at speeds 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 the coffee trees themselves and the bulk of the harvest, 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 aftershocks and roar, and on May 8 an explosion occurred, accompanied by clouds of smoke, ash and streams 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 rescue workers clearing the ruins of Saint-Pierre died, and an 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. According to scientists, their power was 200 megatons (10,000 times more than the bombs in Hiroshima), the sound of the big bang was heard as far as Sri Lanka and Australia at a distance of about 4000 km, which is probably the most loud sound throughout the 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. 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 within a radius of up to 600 km.

In addition to the “traditional” explosion, there soon arose unique phenomenon: a fiery whirlwind that swept away everything in its path. After 5 days, another tsunami formed, which claimed the lives of 4,500 people. Total number victims from direct action Tambora, as well as subsequent famine and disease, reaches 70,000.

As a result of the explosion, the content in the atmosphere increased sulfur dioxide, which caused climate change. So, the next year, 2016, is often called “the year without summer.” In Europe, North America and certain areas of Asia were observed unusually low temperatures endless rains and hurricanes, 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. His 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 central island Thira (or Fira). The explosion generated a tsunami, the height of which was different sources indicated from 15 to 100 m, and speed – 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 are associated with his activity Old Testament: for example, the sea that parted in front of 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 most large explosions on our planet.

The most strong eruptions volcanoes

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 Bárðarbunga 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 Eyjafjallajökull volcano emerged from a long hibernation, whose ash disrupted flights for two weeks. This time, the pilot of the plane flying past, 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 of a fuss about it. According to James White, a volcanologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, society can do little when large volcanic eruptions occur, so their rarity is surprising.

10. Mount St. Helens, Washington State, USA – 57 victims

On May 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake caused a series of explosions at Mount St. Helens. The process culminated in a massive 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 recreation areas, not to mention logging farms and farmland. The "indirect loss of life" from this eruption made it one of the the most terrible cataclysms in the world.

9. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo – 70 victims


Located 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 1,100 meters and has a two-kilometer crater filled with a real lava lake. In January 1977, Nyiragongo began to erupt again, with lava flowing down its slopes at speeds of 100 kilometers per hour, killing 70 people. The next eruption occurred in 2002, when lava flows headed towards the city of Goma and the shores of Lake Kivu, fortunately no one was injured this time. Scientists believe that increased level volcanism in the area caused Lake Kivu to become oversaturated carbon dioxide to dangerous levels.

8. Pinatubo, Philippines - 800 victims


Located in the Kabusilan Mountains on the island of Luzon, Volcano Pinatubo has been dormant for over 450 years. In June 1991, when they had already forgotten about the danger of this volcano, and its slopes were covered with dense vegetation, it suddenly woke up. Fortunately, timely monitoring and forecasts allowed most of the population to be safely evacuated, however, the eruption resulted in the deaths of 800 people. It was so strong that its effects were felt throughout the world. A layer of sulfuric acid vapor settled in the planet's atmosphere for some time, causing a decrease in global 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 more than 30 times since 1000 AD. One of its deadliest eruptions occurred in 1919. More than 5,000 people died from the hot and fast-moving mudflows. The volcano later erupted in 1951, 1966 and 1990, in total causing the death of 250 people. 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, ash and rock debris covered nearby villages. Last eruption this volcano occurred on February 13, 2014, when 76,000 people were evacuated. The 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 North Atlantic and the Arctic Circle, it is famous for its waterfalls, fjords, volcanoes and glaciers. Iceland got its nickname “Land of Fire and Ice” because there is a whole system 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 Eyjafjallajökull 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, erupting 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. The cloud of toxins rained down acid rain, poisoning livestock and spoiling the soil, and causing 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. The huge explosion caused an earthquake, which caused the eastern part of the volcano's dome to break, resulting in a huge tsunami. On that memorable day, between 12 and 15 thousand people died. This eruption is considered the deadliest in Japanese history. Mount Unzen subsequently erupted again in 1990, 1991 and 1995. In 1991, 43 people died, including three volcanologists.

4. Vesuvius, Italy - from 16,000 to 25,000 victims


Located 9 kilometers east of Naples, Mount Vesuvius is one of the most notorious volcanoes in the world. The reason it's so notoriety caused by an eruption in 79 AD that destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The lava flow was then 20 miles long and consisted of molten rock, 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 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 world, since more than 3 million people live in its surroundings.

3. Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia - 25,000 victims


Nevado del Ruiz, also known as La Messa de Jurveo, is a stratovolcano located in Colombia. It is located 128 kilometers west of Bogota. 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 mudslides, made of mud and capable of burying entire cities. This volcano erupted three times: in 1595, 635 people died as a result of being caught in a hot mudslide, in 1845, 1,000 people died, and in 1985, which turned out to be the deadliest, more than 25,000 people died. This large number victims is explained by the fact that the village of Armero appeared in the path of the lava flow, rushing at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour.

2. Pelee, West Indies - 30,000 victims

The Pelee volcano is located at 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 city's residents 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 off the shore. She was later found drifting in the ocean, two miles from Martinique.

1. Tambora, Indonesia - 92,000 victims


Mount Tambora erupted on April 10, 1816, killing 92,000 people. The volume of lava, more than 38 cubic miles, is considered the largest in the history of any eruption. 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 the most strong influence 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 series of weather anomalies around the world: snow fell in New England in June, crop failures occurred everywhere, and livestock died as a result of famine throughout the Northern Hemisphere. This phenomenon has become widely known as “volcanic winter.”

On June 6-8, 1912, the Novarupta volcano erupted, USA - one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century. Kodiak Island, located nearby, was covered in a 30-centimeter layer of ash, and because of acid rain caused by emissions of volcanic rocks into the atmosphere, people's clothes fell into threads.

On this day, we decided to remember 5 more of the most destructive volcanic eruptions in history.

1. The largest eruption in the last 4000 years is the eruption of Mount Tambora, which is located in Indonesia on the island of Sumbawa. The explosion of this volcano occurred on April 5, 1815, although the first signs began to show back in 1812, when the first streams of smoke appeared above it. The eruption continued for 10 days. 180 cubic meters were released into the atmosphere. km. pyroclastics and gases, tons of sand and volcanic dust covered an area within a radius of one hundred kilometers. After the volcanic eruption, due to huge amount pollution, it was night for three days within a radius of 500 km. from him. According to eyewitnesses, nothing was visible further own hand. The death toll was more than 70,000 people. The entire population of the island of Sumbawa was destroyed, and residents of nearby islands were also affected. Next year After the eruption, it was very difficult for the inhabitants of this area; it was nicknamed “the year without summer.” Unusually low temperatures caused crop failure and famine. Due to such a large eruption, the climate of the entire planet was changed; in many countries, snow lasted most of the summer that year.

2. A powerful volcanic eruption occurred in 1883 on the island of Krakatoa, between Java and Sumatra, on which the volcano of the same name is located. The height of the smoke column during the eruption was 11 kilometers. After this, the volcano calmed down, but not for long. The culmination phase of the eruption began in August. Dust, gas, and debris rose to a height of 70 km and fell on an area of ​​more than 1 million square meters. km. The roar of the explosion exceeded 180 decibels, which is significantly higher than the human pain threshold. An air wave arose that circled the planet several times, tearing roofs off houses. But this is not all the consequences of the Krakatoa eruption. The tsunami caused by the eruption destroyed 300 cities and towns, killed more than 30,000 people, and left many more homeless. Six months later, the volcano finally calmed down.

3. In May 1902, one of the the most terrible disasters twentieth century. Residents of the city of Saint-Pierre, located in Martinique, considered the Mont Pelee volcano weak. No one paid attention to the tremors and rumble, despite the fact that they lived only 8 kilometers from the mountain. At about 8 o'clock in the morning on May 8, its eruption began. Volcanic gases and lava flows rushed towards the city, causing fires. The city of Saint-Pierre was destroyed, killing more than 30,000 people. Of all the residents, only the criminal who was in the underground prison survived.
Now this city has been restored, and at the foot of the volcano, in memory of the terrible event, a museum of volcanology has been built.

4. For five centuries, the Ruiz volcano, which is located in Colombia, did not show life, and people considered it dormant. But, unexpectedly, on November 13, 1985, a major eruption began. Due to the escaping lava flows, the temperature increased and the ice covering the volcano melted. The flows reached the city of Armero and practically destroyed it. According to official data, about 23 thousand people died or went missing, and tens of thousands of people lost their homes. Coffee plantations were significantly damaged, and Colombia's economy suffered enormous damage this year.

5. The Japanese volcano Unzen, located in the southwest of the island of Kyushu, closes the top five most destructive eruptions. The activity of this volcano began in 1791, and on February 10, 1792, the first eruption occurred. This was followed by a series of earthquakes that caused significant destruction in the nearby city of Shimabara. A kind of dome of frozen lava formed over the city, and on May 21 it split due to another earthquake. A rock avalanche hit the city and the sea, causing a tsunami with waves reaching up to 23 meters. More than 5,000 people died when pieces of rock fell, and more than 10 thousand lives were lost to the elements.

According to various estimates, there are from 1000 to 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. There are active ones, that is, constantly or periodically erupting, dormant and extinct volcanoes, about the eruption of which there is no historical data. Almost 90% of active volcanoes are located in the so-called fire belt of the Earth - a chain of seismically active zones and volcanoes, including underwater ones, stretching from the coast of Mexico south through the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and to New Zealand.

The largest active volcano on earth is Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, USA - 4170 m above sea level and about 10,000 m from the base on the ocean floor, the crater has an area of ​​more than 10 square meters. km.

January 17, 2002 - Nyiragongo volcano erupts in the east Democratic Republic Congo. More than half of the city of Goma, located 10 km away, and 14 surrounding villages were buried under the lava flows. The disaster claimed more than 100 lives and drove up to 300 thousand residents from their homes. Huge damage was caused to coffee and banana plantations.

On October 27, 2002, the Sicilian volcano Etna, the highest in Europe (3329 m above sea level), began to erupt. The eruption ended only on January 30, 2003. Volcanic lava Several tourist campsites, a hotel, ski lifts and Mediterranean pine groves were destroyed. The volcanic eruption caused agriculture Sicily suffered approximately 140 million euros in damage. It also erupted in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011.

July 12, 2003 - eruption of the Soufriere volcano on the island of Montserrat (Small archipelago Antilles, possession of Great Britain). Island with an area of ​​102 sq. km caused significant material damage. Ash that covered almost the entire island, acid rain and volcanic gases destroyed up to 95% of the crop, and the fishing industry suffered heavy losses. The island's territory was declared a disaster zone.

On February 12, 2010, the Soufriere volcano began to erupt again. A powerful “rain” of ash fell on several settlements Grande Terre Islands (Guadeloupe, possession of France). All schools in Pointe-à-Pitres were closed. The local airport has temporarily ceased operations.

In May 2006, during the eruption of Mount Merapi on the Indonesian island of Java, the most active of the island's 42 volcanoes, a four-kilometer column of smoke and ash rose, and therefore authorities announced a ban on aircraft flights not only over Java, but also on international airlines from Australia to Singapore.

On June 14, 2006, the eruption occurred again. Up to 700 thousand cubic meters of hot lava flowed down the slopes. 20 thousand people were evacuated.

As a result of the eruption on October 26, 2010, which lasted about two weeks, lava flows spread over five kilometers and more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ash mixed with basalt dust and sand were thrown into the atmosphere. 347 people became victims of the disaster, over 400 thousand residents were evacuated. The eruption disrupted air traffic over the island.

On August 17, 2006 in Ecuador as a result of powerful eruption The Tungurahua volcano, located 180 km from the Ecuadorian capital Quito, killed at least six people and dozens were burned and injured. Thousands of peasants were forced to leave their homes, livestock died due to toxic gases and ash, and almost the entire crop was lost.

In 2009, Alaska Airlines repeatedly canceled flights due to the eruption of Redout Volcano, from the crater of which ash was thrown up to a height of 15 km. The volcano is located 176 km southwest of the city of Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

On April 14, 2010, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull led to the largest crisis in the history of passenger aviation. The resulting ash cloud covered almost all of Europe, which led to the fact that in the period from April 15 to 20, 18 European countries completely closed their skies, and other countries were forced to close and open their airspaces depending on weather conditions. The governments of these countries decided to stop flights in connection with the recommendations of the European Office for Monitoring the Safety of Air Navigation.

In May 2010, due to another activation of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, the airspace over Northern Ireland, in the north-west of Turkey, over Munich (Germany), over Northern and partly Central England, as well as over a number of areas of Scotland. The ban zone included the airports of London, as well as Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Netherlands). Due to the movement of the volcanic ash cloud to the south, flights were canceled at airports in Portugal, northwestern Spain, and northern Italy.

On May 27, 2010, in Guatemala, as a result of the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, two people were killed, three were missing, 59 were injured and about 2 thousand were left homeless. Agricultural crops were damaged by sand and ash, and more than 100 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed.

On May 22-25, 2011, the Grímsvötn volcano (Iceland) erupted, resulting in the temporary closure of Icelandic airspace. Ash clouds reached the airspace of Great Britain, Germany and Sweden, and some flights were cancelled. According to volcanologists, the volcano emitted much more ash into the atmosphere than the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010, but the ash particles were heavier and settled faster on the ground, so a transport collapse was avoided.

On June 4, 2011, the Puyehue volcano, located on the Chilean side of the Andes, began to erupt. The ash column reached a height of 12 km. In neighboring Argentina resort town Ash and small stones fell on San Carlos de Bariloche, and the work of the airports of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay) was paralyzed for several days.

On August 10, 2013 in Indonesia, as a result of the eruption of the Rockatenda volcano, located on small island Palue, six local residents were killed. From danger zone About two thousand people were evacuated - a quarter of the inhabitants on the island.

An unexpected volcanic eruption began on September 27, 2014. It was accompanied by powerful emissions of toxic gases.

Climbers and tourists who were on the slopes of the mountain at the time of the eruption were killed and injured. Japanese doctors have officially confirmed the death of 48 people as a result of the eruption of Mount Ontake. According to the Japanese press, almost 70 people suffered from poisoning poisonous gases and defeats respiratory tract hot volcanic ash. In total there were about 250 people on the mountain.

On August 24, 79, the most famous volcanic eruption in history occurred - the eruption of Vesuvius. The cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae were buried under volcanic ash. Ashes from Vesuvius reached Egypt and Syria. We decided to make a selection of several world-famous volcanic eruptions.

1. One of the largest eruptions in modern history occurred on April 5-7, 1815 in Indonesia. Volcano Tambora erupted on the island of Sumbawa. Humanity remembers this volcanic eruption because large quantity victims. During the disaster itself and subsequently, 92 thousand people died from hunger. The ash clouds from the Tambora eruption blocked the sun's rays for so long that it even caused the temperature over the area to drop.

2. The Taupo volcano in New Zealand erupted 27 thousand years ago. It remains the largest volcanic eruption in the last 70 thousand years. During it, about 530 km³ of magma was erupted from the mountain. After the eruption, a giant caldera was formed, which is now partially filled by Lake Taupo, one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.

3. On August 27, 1883, the Krakatoa volcano began to erupt between the islands of Java and Sumatra. This eruption is known for the largest volcanic explosion in history. The tsunami caused by this explosion covered 163 villages. More than 36 thousand people died. The roar from the colossal force of the explosion could be heard by 8 percent of the population globe, and pieces of lava were thrown up to a height of 55 kilometers. Volcanic ash, which was carried by the wind, fell 10 days later 5 thousand kilometers from the eruption site.

4. After the eruption of the Santorini volcano in Greece, the Cretan civilization perished. This happened around 1450 BC on the island of Thera. There is a version that Fera is Atlantis, which Plato described. According to another version, the pillar of fire that Moses saw is the eruption of Santorini, and the parting of the sea is a consequence of the immersion of the island of Thera in water.

5. Volcano Etna, in Sicily, according to some sources, has already erupted more than 200 times. In one of them, in 1169, 15 thousand people died. Etna is a still active volcano that erupts approximately once every 150 years. But the Sicilians still continue to settle on the mountainside because the solidified lava makes the soil fertile. During the eruption that occurred in 1928, a miracle occurred. The lava stopped right in front of the Catholic procession. A chapel was built on this site. Lava from the eruption that occurred 30 years after construction also stopped in front of it.

6. In 1902, the Montagne Pelee volcano erupted on the island of Martinique. On May 8, a cloud of hot lava, vapors and gases covered the city of Saint-Pierre. The city was destroyed in a few minutes. Of the 28 thousand residents in the city, two were saved, including Opostos Siparis, who was sentenced to death. He was saved by the walls of the death row. The governor pardoned Siparis and for the rest of his life he traveled around the world, talking about what happened.

7. The city of Armero in Colombia was destroyed in ten minutes after the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano on November 13, 1985. This city was located 50 kilometers from the eruption site. Of the 28 thousand inhabitants, only 7 thousand remained alive after the eruption. Could have survived a lot more people, if only they had listened to the volcanologists who warned of disaster. But no one believed the experts that day, since their forecasts turned out to be wrong several times.

8. On June 12, 1991, the Pinatubo volcano, which had been dormant for 611 years, came to life in the Philippines. 875 people died in the disaster. Also destroyed during the eruption was an Air Force base and a US Naval base. The eruption led to a decrease in temperature by 0.5 degrees Celsius and a reduction in the ozone layer, in particular the formation ozone hole over Antarctica.

9. In 1912, on June 6, one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century occurred. Katmai volcano erupted in Alaska. The ash column from the eruption rose 20 kilometers. A lake formed on the site of the crater from the volcano - the main attraction National Park Katmai.

10 . Eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in 2010. Dense clouds of volcanic ash shrouded some parts rural areas Iceland, and an invisible plume of sand and dust covered Europe, “clearing” the skies of planes and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to rush to find hotel rooms, train tickets and hire taxis.

11 . Klyuchevskaya Sopka, Russia. This volcano has erupted about 20 times. In 1994, another eruption began, when from the summit crater to absolute altitude A powerful eruptive column loaded with ash rose 12-13 km. Fountains of hot bombs flew up 2-2.5 km above the crater, the maximum size of the debris reached 1.5-2 m in diameter. A thick dark plume loaded with volcanic products extended to the southeast. Powerful mud flows traveled 25 - 30 km along already developed channels and reached the river. Kamchatka