Top 10 Most Deadliest Volcanic Eruption

 

TAMBORA, INDONESIA

Tambora produced the largest eruption during April 10,1815.The volcano 
erupted  for more than 50 cubic kilometers of magma. It caused a lot of destruction and killed more than 100,000 people, directly and indirectly. The massive Tambora is a stratovolcano that forms the entire 60-km-wide Sanggar Peninsula on northern Sumbawa Island. It grew to about 4000 m elevation before a major explosion destroyed its summit and left a pre-1815 caldera more than 43,000 years ago. It is also believed that the eruption produced tsunamis with waves possibly as high as 10 meters.

 (from: http://www.volcanodiscovery.com/tambora.html)

Location: Island of Sumbawa, Indonesia (found in the Pacific Ring of Fire)\




MT.PELEE, WEST INDIES

The explosive eruption of Mt. Pelee happened last May 10, 1902. With a population of upward of 25,000 persons, the city has been totally destroyed, and the survivors are reported to number less than two score, nearly all of them burned, wounded, and suffering awful torturesMount Pelee is a a great volcano that is believed to be extinct a long time ago, suddenly awoke from the sleep of many years. Out of the mouth of the treacherous crater, around which nestled the summer villas and the pretty homes of the wealthier of the French West Indian residents. (from:http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Great_Republic_By_the_Master_Historians_Vol_IV/mountpele_ge.html)

Location:  Martinique

MT. KRAKATOA, INDONESIA

The eruption of Krakatoa in August 1883 was one of the most deadly volcanic eruptions of modern history. It is estimated that more than 36,000 people died. Many died as a result of thermal injury from the blasts and many more were victims of t
he tsunamis that followed the collapse of the volcano into the caldera below sea level.

The island of Krakatau (Krakatoa) is in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. It is part of the Indonesian Island Arc. Volcanic activity is due to subduction of the Indo-Australian tectonic plate as it moves northward towards mainland Asia. The island is about 3 miles wide and 5.5 miles long (9 by 5 kilometers).

(from: http://www.livescience.com/28186-krakatoa.html)

Location:  Sunda strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.

NEVADO DEL RUIZ, COLUMBIA

Nevado del Ruiz is an active volcano, located in a compact cluster of volcanic mountains near the center of Colombia. The area is included in Los Nevados National Park, and is easily accessible by road. It is probably the most popular climbing area in Colombia, as well as a popular ski spot in winter. Some snow remains on the mountain year-round. Nevado del Ruiz is not only the highest mountain in the region, but is one of the easiest to ascend, straight up the snowy west slope from a parking lot at the base of the mountain. A traverse of all four peaks requires about a week. More than 23,000 people were killed in Armero, Colombia when Nevado del Ruiz erupted on November 13, 1985. 

 (from: http://www.peakware.com/peaks.html?pk=220)

Location: Colombia



MT.UNZEN, JAPAN

 The eruption of Mt. Unzen in 1792 is the most catastrophic and deadly in all of Japan’s history. The initial eruption triggered a landslide and tsunami. Mt. Unzen consists of a group of composite volcanoes and they are located east of Nagasaki. It is said that most of the death toll was as a result of the landslide and tsunami; evidence of the devastating landslide can still be seen today.

(From:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/08/top-10-deadliest-volcanic-eruptions/104313)

LOCATION: Shimabara Peninsula of Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (found in the Pacific Ring of Fire)

MT.VESUVIUS, ITALY

This is possibly one of the most famous volcanic eruptions in history and it is particularly infamous due to the burial of two Italian towns, Herculaneum and Pompeii. This eruption is so well documented due to the eyewitness account of Pliny the Younger. During this eruption Mt. Vesuvius expelled a deadly cloud of volcanic gas, stones, ash and fumes that rose to a tremendous height of 33km. The eruption lasted two days and the eruption was made even more tragic because of the fact that the unsuspecting residents of the Bay of Naples were unaware that they were living in the shadow of a deadly volcano.(From:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/08/top-10-deadliest-volcanic-eruptions/104313)LOCATION: Province of Naples, Italy

THE LAKI VOLCANIC SYSTEM, ICELAND

This eruption lasted a whopping eight months spewing a total of 14.7 cubic kilometers of lava and 27km of fissures. Despite the extremely high volume of volcanic material that was expelled from the volcano during this eruption, this was not the primary cause of the large death toll. It was in fact the deadly gas emission that was the killer. Large quantities of gas were released into the atmosphere consisting of water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride and flouride. This ultimately created a cloud that remained over Iceland and proceeded to create acid rain, poisoning livestock and the soil.

(From:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/08/top-10-deadliest-volcanic-eruptions/104313)

LOCATION: South of Iceland

MT. Papandayan, INDONESIA

Situated on the Indonesian island of Java, Papandayan is a crater-filled semi-active volcano. In 1772, one side of the volcano exploded and avalanched into the surrounding 40 villages, destroying them completely. Over 3,000 villagers were killed. The volcano is still considered very dangerous and much of the surrounding area is restricted – especially considering there have been smoke, tremors and minor eruptions in 1923, 1942, plus several, all increasing in strength, in 2002. (from: http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-deadly-volcano-eruptions.php)

 LOCATION: Indonesian island of Java

MT. KELUT, INDONESIA

When Mt. Kelut erupted in 1919 over 100 villages were destroyed due to lethal lahars that traveled a distance for 40 kilometers. During this eruption 38 million cubic meters of water were ejected from the Crater Lake. The volcano has erupted on a large scale several times since 1919, including once in 1966 and again in 1990.

(From:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/08/top-10-deadliest-volcanic-eruptions/104313)

LOCATION: Kelud Karangrejo, Garum, Blitar 66182, Indonesia

MT. GALUNGGUNG, JAVA INDONESIA

The Volcano erupted in October in 1882. As well as killing 4,011 people the eruption also destroyed 114 villages. Mt Galunggung is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a well-known collection of volcanoes along a horseshoe shape around the coasts of Asia and the west coasts of Central and South America. This particular eruption was a VEI (Volcanic Explosive Index) 5 volcanic eruption.

(From:http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/08/top-10-deadliest-volcanic-eruptions/104313)

LOCATION: Java, Indonesia

The Pacific Ring of Fire and its Earthquakes