Top 10 Volcanic Disasters

Top 10 Volcanic Disasters

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They are ticking time bombs that can alter the shape of the world. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 devastating volcanic disasters. For this list, we’re counting down our picks for the most destructive volcano eruptions. These are ranked by a mix of explosive power, environmental impact, and human death tolls. We're also only including incidents that occurred within recorded human history, so we won't be counting Indonesia's Lake Toba eruption from around 75,000 years ago.

The power of a natural explosion is measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index—or VEI—which ranks incidents on a scale from zero to eight. The eruption of Mount Pinatubo earned a six rating, which qualifies it as the second largest volcanic explosion in the 20th century. It caused magma flows and ash deposits that left 100,000 homeless and 847 dead. And thanks to the 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide emitted—resulting in damage to the ozone—the world’s temperature dropped a whole degree Fahrenheit in the following year.

With a VEI of 6, Ilopango was catastrophic in scale. It covered central El Salvador in waist-deep ash for over 3800 square miles and killed an estimated 30,000 people. This area is notable because it was one of the places where the Mayans called home—that is until Ilopanga erupted. The explosion effectively displaced the civilization; forcing the residents to flee to northern El Salvador and Guatemala. And because the volcanic fallout would have destroyed crops and livestock for thousands of miles, the Mayans had to re-settle permanently.

This was South America’s largest eruption in recorded history. The volcano exploded with a VEI 6 force, sending volcanic matter many miles in each direction. Mud and lava flows destroyed villages, killed 1,500 people, and only stopped once it reached the Pacific Ocean almost 75 miles away. The wake was worse than the blast, though, as earthquakes rattled the region and sulphurous gas ruined the atmosphere. Historians cite this eruption as the cause of the Great Russian famine, as the compromised atmosphere lowered temperatures and ravaged crops, killing a third of Russia’s people.

Few eruptions in human history have registered a 7 on the VEI scale, but Mt. Paektu was one of the deadly few. It ejected ash over 15 miles high and and more than 745 miles away; covering the Sea of Japan and reaching as far as Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. The blast also created a crater that is 2.7 miles wide and over 2700 feet deep, which is now a lake and a popular tourist destination. While the death count is unknown, thousands were presumably killed due to the location and scope of the eruption.

The lead-up to this eruption is perhaps more unsettling than the blast itself. Saint-Pierre was a city located at the base of Mount Pelée on the island of Martinique. After the volcano reportedly started shaking, bubbling, and foreshadowing disaster, hordes of snakes, rats, centipedes, and biting insects fled from the mountain and terrorized the posh resort city. It was said that dozens of fatalities occurred from animal bites before the volcano even exploded. Then came the VEI 4 eruption, which buried the city in lava and ash and killed about 30,000 people. Legend has it that only two people survived, which while not true, is not that far off either.

Mount Vesuvius is legendary for the devastation it has caused. The stratovolcano has erupted multiple times since humans colonized the area, but its eruption in 79 AD was the worst of them all. The VEI 5 explosion buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in many feet of ash, rock, and lava. It’s estimated that over 16,000 people were killed, with preserved bodies still being uncovered today. Many died in exceptionally horrifying ways, as the rapid heat expulsion vaporized bodies and caused people’s heads to explode. Worryingly, not only does Vesuvius remain active to this day but also millions stills live in its blast radius.

The Laki eruptions lasted eight months and plagued the Northern hemisphere. After the initial explosion registered a six on the VEI scale, a series of emissions were triggered that released lava and volcanic gas. For parts of two years, these fissures ejected chemicals that poisoned the atmosphere. People choked to death on the fumes, livestock were killed, and soil was rendered unusable. Drastic weather changes occurred worldwide and famine was felt from Africa to Asia. A quarter of Iceland’s population was killed from the blast and its aftermath, while it’s estimated that six million people in multiple continents died from the fallout.

Krakatoa blew itself up—literally. The volcanic island exploded into oblivion after the VEI 6 blast, which had the power of 13,000 Hiroshima bombs, and could be heard 3,000 miles away. Besides destroying the island, Krakatoa caused tsunamis 150 feet high, sent volcanic debris as far as South Africa, and even rippled the English Channel. Enough ash was released to obscure part of the sun, causing global cooling for several years. Over 35,000 people perished on the nearby islands, with many dying purely from the shock of the blast.

Located on the island now known as Santorini, the Thera or Minoan eruption, exploded over 3,500 years ago, and its effects are still felt today. In a 20 mile radius of the blast zone, ash deposits 100 feet thick are present, and at the bottom of this ash lays the ancient Minoan civilization of Akrotiri. The VEI 7 explosion preserved the city in perpetuity, and the site is rife with buildings and artifacts. It is thought that Thera, as well as Biblical plague stories, inspired the Atlantis legend. The truthfulness of these theories remains blurred, though the fact that this was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history cannot be denied. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions: - Mount St. Helens, USA (1980) - Santa María, Guatemala (1902) - Mayon Volcano, Philippines (1814) - Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia (1985)

In 1815, Mount Tambora exploded with the energy of 2 million atomic bombs. The VEI 7 eruption was 100 times more powerful than Mt. Vesuvius and 10 times more powerful than Krakatoa. It tore 4,000 feet off the mountain, killed all the vegetation on the island, and expelled so much chemical ash that much of the world went without a summer in 1816. Widespread disease and famine predictably occurred, which reportedly, along with the initial blast, killed as many as 100,000 people. As volcanic disasters go, Tambora is a hard act to follow. Do you agree with our list? Which eruption fact shocked you the most? For more stupefying Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.