The most powerful volcanic eruptions in the 20th century. The most destructive volcanoes in human history Infamous volcanic eruptions

August 24‑25, 79 AD an eruption occurred that was considered extinct Vesuvius volcano, located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, 16 kilometers east of Naples (Italy). The eruption led to the destruction of four Roman cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontium, Stabia - and several small villages and villas. Pompeii, located 9.5 kilometers from the crater of Vesuvius and 4.5 kilometers from the base of the volcano, was covered with a layer of very small pieces of pumice about 5-7 meters thick and covered with a layer of volcanic ash. With the onset of night, lava flowed from the side of Vesuvius, everywhere fires started, and the ashes made it difficult to breathe. On August 25, along with the earthquake, a tsunami began, the sea retreated from the shores, and a black cloud loomed over Pompeii and surrounding cities. thundercloud, hiding the Misensky Cape and the Island of Capri. Most of the population of Pompeii was able to escape, but about two thousand people died on the streets and in the houses of the city from poisonous sulfur dioxide gases. Among the victims was the Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder. Herculaneum, located seven kilometers from the crater of the volcano and about two kilometers from its base, was covered with a layer of volcanic ash, the temperature of which was so high that all wooden objects were completely charred. The ruins of Pompeii were accidentally discovered at the end of the 16th century, but systematic Excavations began only in 1748 and are still ongoing, along with reconstruction and restoration.

March 11, 1669 an eruption occurred Mount Etna in Sicily, which lasted until July of the same year (according to other sources, until November 1669). The eruption was accompanied by numerous earthquakes. Lava fountains along this fissure gradually moved downwards, and the largest cone formed near the city of Nikolosi. This cone is known as Monti Rossi (Red Mountain) and is still clearly visible on the slope of the volcano. Nikolosi and two nearby villages were destroyed on the first day of the eruption. In another three days, lava flowing south down the slope destroyed four more villages. At the end of March, two more major cities, and in early April lava flows reached the outskirts of Catania. Lava began to accumulate under the fortress walls. Some of it flowed into the harbor and filled it. On April 30, 1669, lava flowed over the top of the fortress walls. The townspeople built additional walls across the main roads. This stopped the advance of the lava, but the western part of the city was destroyed. The total volume of this eruption is estimated at 830 million cubic meters. Lava flows burned 15 villages and part of the city of Catania, completely changing the configuration of the coast. According to some sources, 20 thousand people, according to others - from 60 to 100 thousand.

October 23, 1766 on the island of Luzon (Philippines) began to erupt Mayon volcano. Dozens of villages were swept away and incinerated by a huge lava flow (30 meters wide), which went down the eastern slopes for two days. Following the initial explosion and flow of lava, Mayon Volcano continued to erupt for four more days, releasing large amounts of steam and watery mud. Grayish-brown rivers ranging from 25 to 60 meters wide fell down the slopes of the mountain within a radius of up to 30 kilometers. They completely swept away roads, animals, villages with people on their way (Daraga, Kamalig, Tobaco). More than 2,000 residents died during the eruption. Basically, they were swallowed up by the first lava flow or secondary mud avalanches. For two months, the mountain spewed ash and poured lava onto the surrounding area.

April 5-7, 1815 an eruption occurred Tambora volcano on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. Ash, sand and volcanic dust were thrown into the air to a height of 43 kilometers. Stones weighing up to five kilograms were scattered over a distance of up to 40 kilometers. The Tambora eruption affected the islands of Sumbawa, Lombok, Bali, Madura and Java. Subsequently, under a three-meter layer of ash, scientists found traces of the dead kingdoms of Pecat, Sangar and Tambora. Simultaneously with the volcanic eruption, huge tsunamis 3.5-9 meters high were formed. Having flown away from the island, the water fell on neighboring islands and drowned hundreds of people. About 10 thousand people died directly during the eruption. At least 82 thousand more people died from the consequences of the disaster - hunger or disease. The ash that shrouded Sumbawa destroyed crops and buried the irrigation system; acid rain poisoned the water. For three years after Tambora's eruption, the entire globe was enveloped in a shroud of dust and ash particles, reflecting some of the sun's rays and cooling the planet. The next year, 1816, Europeans felt the consequences of a volcanic eruption. It entered the annals of history as “the year without summer.” The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere fell by about one degree, and in some areas even by 3-5 degrees. The soil suffered from spring and summer frosts large areas crops, and famine began in many areas.

August 26-27, 1883 an eruption occurred Krakatoa volcano, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Houses on nearby islands collapsed due to tremors. On August 27, at about 10 o'clock in the morning, a gigantic explosion occurred, an hour later - a second explosion of the same force. More than 18 cubic kilometers of rock debris and ash shot up into the atmosphere. The waves of the tsunami caused by the explosions instantly swallowed up cities, villages, and forests on the coasts of Java and Sumatra. Many islands disappeared under water along with the population. The tsunami was so powerful that it went around almost the entire planet. In total, on the coasts of Java and Sumatra, 295 cities and villages were wiped off the face of the earth, over 36 thousand people died, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The coasts of Sumatra and Java have changed beyond recognition. On the coast of the Sunda Strait, fertile soil was washed away down to the rocky base. Only a third of the island of Krakatoa survived. In terms of the amount of water and rock moved, the energy of the Krakatoa eruption is equivalent to the explosion of several hydrogen bombs. Strange glow and optical phenomena persisted for several months after the eruption. In some places above the Earth, the sun appeared blue and the moon appeared bright green. And the movement of dust particles ejected by the eruption in the atmosphere allowed scientists to establish the presence of a “jet” stream.

May 8, 1902 Mont Pele volcano, located on Martinique, one of the Caribbean islands, was literally torn to pieces - four strong explosions were heard, similar to cannon shots. They threw out a black cloud from the main crater, which was pierced by flashes of lightning. Since the emissions did not come through the top of the volcano, but through side craters, all volcanic eruptions of this type have since been called “Peleian”. Superheated volcanic gas, due to its high density and high speed of movement, spread above the ground itself, penetrated into all the cracks. A huge cloud covered the area of ​​complete destruction. The second zone of destruction stretches another 60 square kilometers. This cloud, formed from super-hot steam and gases, weighed down by billions of particles of hot ash, moving at a speed sufficient to carry fragments of rocks and volcanic emissions, had a temperature of 700-980 ° C and was able to melt glass. Mont Pele erupted again on May 20, 1902, with almost the same force as on May 8. The Mont Pelee volcano, breaking into pieces, destroyed one of the main ports of Martinique, Saint-Pierre, along with its population. 36 thousand people died instantly, hundreds of people died from side effects. The two survivors became celebrities. Shoemaker Leon Comper Leander managed to escape within the walls of his own house. He miraculously survived, although he received severe burns to his legs. Louis Auguste Cypress, nicknamed Samson, was in a prison cell during the eruption and remained there for four days, despite serious burns. After being rescued, he was pardoned, soon he was hired by the circus and during performances he was shown as the only surviving resident of Saint-Pierre.

June 1, 1912 eruption began Katmai volcano in Alaska, which had been dormant for a long time. On June 4, ash material was ejected, which, mixed with water, formed mud flows; on June 6, an explosion of colossal force occurred, the sound of which was heard in Juneau 1,200 kilometers away and in Dawson 1,040 kilometers from the volcano. Two hours later there was a second explosion of enormous force, and in the evening a third. Then, for several days, there was an almost continuous eruption of colossal amounts of gases and solid products. During the eruption, about 20 cubic kilometers of ash and debris burst out of the volcano. The deposition of this material formed a layer of ash ranging from 25 centimeters to 3 meters thick, and much more near the volcano. The amount of ash was so great that for 60 hours there was complete darkness around the volcano at a distance of 160 kilometers. On June 11, volcanic dust fell in Vancouver and Victoria at a distance of 2200 km from the volcano. In the upper layers of the atmosphere it was carried throughout North America and fell in large quantities in Pacific Ocean. Whole year fine particles ash moved in the atmosphere. Summer across the planet turned out to be much colder than usual, since more than a quarter of the sun's rays falling on the planet were retained in the ash curtain. In addition, in 1912, amazingly beautiful scarlet dawns were celebrated everywhere. At the site of the crater, a lake with a diameter of 1.5 kilometers formed - the main attraction of the Katmai National Park and Preserve, formed in 1980.

December 13-28, 1931 an eruption occurred volcano Merapi on the island of Java in Indonesia. Over two weeks, from December 13 to 28, the volcano erupted a stream of lava about seven kilometers long, up to 180 meters wide and up to 30 meters deep. The white-hot stream scorched the earth, burned the trees and destroyed all the villages in its path. In addition, both slopes of the volcano exploded, and erupted volcanic ash covered half of the island of the same name. During this eruption, 1,300 people died. The eruption of Mount Merapi in 1931 was the most destructive, but far from the last.

In 1976, a volcanic eruption killed 28 people and destroyed 300 houses. Significant morphological changes occurring in the volcano caused another disaster. In 1994, the dome that had formed in previous years collapsed, and the resulting massive release of pyroclastic material forced the local population to leave their villages. 43 people died.

In 2010, the number of victims from the central part of the Indonesian island of Java was 304 people. The list of dead included those who died from exacerbations of lung and heart disease and other chronic diseases caused by ash emissions, as well as those who died from injuries.

November 12, 1985 eruption began Ruiz Volcano in Colombia, considered extinct. On November 13, several explosions were heard one after another. The power of the strongest explosion, according to experts, was about 10 megatons. A column of ash and rock debris rose into the sky to a height of eight kilometers. The eruption that began caused the instant melting of the vast glaciers and eternal snows lying on the top of the volcano. The main blow fell on the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers from the mountain, which was destroyed in 10 minutes. Of the 28.7 thousand residents of the city, 21 thousand died. Not only Armero was destroyed, but also whole line villages The following were severely damaged by the eruption: settlements, like Chinchino, Libano, Murillo, Casabianca and others. Mudflows damaged oil pipelines and cut off fuel supplies to the southern and western parts of the country. As a result of the sudden melting of the snow lying in the Nevado Ruiz Mountains, nearby rivers overflowed their banks. Powerful streams of water washed away car roads, demolished power line and telephone poles, and destroyed bridges. According to the official statement of the Colombian government, as a result of the eruption of the Ruiz volcano, 23 thousand people died or went missing, and about five thousand were seriously injured and maimed. About 4,500 residential buildings and administrative buildings were completely destroyed. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless and without any means of subsistence. Colombia's economy suffered significant damage.

June 10-15, 1991 an eruption occurred Volcano Pinatubo on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The eruption began quite quickly and was unexpected, since the volcano became active after more than six centuries of hibernation. On June 12, the volcano exploded, throwing a mushroom cloud into the sky. Streams of gas, ash and rocks melted to a temperature of 980°C rushed down the slopes at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. For many kilometers around, all the way to Manila, day turned into night. And the cloud and the ash falling from it reached Singapore, which is 2.4 thousand kilometers away from the volcano. On the night of June 12 and the morning of June 13, the volcano erupted again, throwing ash and flames 24 kilometers into the air. The volcano continued to erupt on June 15 and 16. Mud flows and water washed away houses. As a result of numerous eruptions, approximately 200 people died and 100 thousand were left homeless

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Today we will talk about the most destructive volcanoes in human history.

The eruption attracts, frightens and fascinates us at the same time. Beauty, entertainment, spontaneity, enormous danger for 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 shores 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 silent giant. Huge numbers of people are at risk of being buried under thick lava every day.

The last eruption, which managed to wipe out two entire Italian cities from the face of the Earth, happened quite recently, in the midst of World War II. However, the eruption of 1944 in terms of the scale of the catastrophe cannot be compared with the events of August 24, 79 AD. The devastating consequences of that day still boggle our imagination. The eruption lasted more than a day, during which ash and dirt mercilessly destroyed the glorious city of Pompeii.

Until that moment local residents They had no idea about the impending danger; they were let down by a very familiar attitude towards the formidable Vesuvius, as if it were an ordinary mountain. The volcano gave them fertile soil rich in minerals. Abundant harvests were the reason that the city was quickly populated, developed, gained some prestige and even became a vacation spot for the then aristocracy. Soon a drama theater and one of the largest amphitheaters in Italy were built. Some time later, the region gained fame as the calmest and most prosperous place on the whole Earth. Could people have guessed that this flourishing area would be covered by merciless lava? That the rich potential of this region will never be realized? That all its beauty, improvement, and cultural development will be erased from the face of the Earth?

The first shock, which should have alerted the residents, was a strong earthquake, as a result of which many buildings in Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed. However, people who had arranged their life so well were in no hurry to leave their settled place. Instead, they restored the buildings in an even more luxurious, new style. At times there were minor earthquakes that no one paid attention to special attention. This was their fatal mistake. Nature itself gave signs of 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 flee within the walls of their houses. At night the volcano woke up completely. People fled to the sea, but the lava caught up with them near the shore. Soon their fate was decided - almost everyone ended their lives under a thick layer of lava, dirt and ash.

The next day, the elements mercilessly attacked Pompeii. Most of the townspeople, whose number reached 20 thousand, managed to leave the city even before the disaster began, 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 scale of the disaster by turning 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 was 1645-1600 BC. e. caused the death of 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 Krakatoa eruption and equals seven points!

Of course, such a strong explosion managed not only to reshape the landscape, but also change the climate. Huge cubes of ash thrown into the atmosphere did not produce sun rays touch the Earth, which led to global cooling. The fate of the Minoan civilization, the center of which was the island of Thira, is shrouded in mystery. The earthquake warned local residents about the impending disaster, they left in time native land. When a huge amount of ash and pumice came out from the interior of the volcano, the volcanic cone collapsed under the force of its own gravity. Sea water poured into the abyss, creating a huge tsunami that washed away nearby settlements. There was no more Mount Santorini. A huge oval chasm, the volcanic caldera, was forever filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea.

Recently, researchers found that the volcano has become more active. Almost 14 million cubic meters of magma have accumulated in it - it seems that Sentorini can reassert itself!

UNZEN

The Unzen volcanic complex, which consists of four domes, became a real synonym for disaster for the Japanese. 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 returning to Shimabara. The tragedy is forever etched in the hearts of the Japanese people. Helplessness in the face of the raging elements, the pain from the loss of a huge number of people was immortalized in numerous monuments that we can see in Japan.

After this terrible event, Unzen fell silent for almost two centuries. But in 1991 another eruption occurred. 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 close monitoring by scientists.

TAMBORA

Volcano Tambora is located on the island of Sumbawa. Its eruption in 1815 is rightfully considered the most powerful eruption in human history. It is possible that more powerful eruptions have occurred during the existence of the Earth, but we have no information about this.

So, in 1815, nature went wild in earnest: an eruption occurred with a magnitude of 7 on the scale of eruption intensity (explosive force) of a volcano, the maximum value being 8. The disaster shocked 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 killed! Places with once fertile soil turned into lifeless space, resulting in a terrible famine. Thus, 48 ​​thousand people died from hunger 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 of 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 the harvest.

KRAKATAU

Krakatau 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.

Before the 1883 eruption, the volcano was much higher and consisted of one large island. However, an eruption in 1883 destroyed the island and the volcano. On the morning of August 27, Krakatoa fired four strong shots, each of which resulted in a powerful tsunami. Huge masses of water poured into populated areas with such speed that residents did not have time to climb a 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 those killed! The rest fell to volcanic debris, ash and gas. Total number the victims amounted to 36.5 thousand people.

Most of the island went under water. 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 has become Blue colour due to the huge amount of ash released during the eruption process. Volcanic debris released into the atmosphere 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.

MONT PELAY

30 thousand people died as a result of a powerful eruption of the Mont Pele volcano, which is located on 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 Paris of the West Indies, into the construction of which the French invested all their knowledge and strength.

The volcano began its inactive activity back 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 the beautiful natural landscape and served for the residents rather as a decoration of their area. Despite this, when in the spring of 1902, when Mont-Pele began to broadcast danger with tremors and a column of smoke, the townspeople did not hesitate. Sensing trouble, they decided to flee in time: some sought refuge in the mountains, others in the water.

Their determination was seriously affected by the huge number of snakes that slid down the slopes of Mont Pele and filled the entire city. Victims from the bites, then from the boiling lake, which was located not far from the crater, overflowed its banks and poured into the back part of the city in a huge stream - all this convinced residents of 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 citizens at such an important political event. He took the necessary measures to ensure that the population did not leave the city; he personally persuaded the residents to stay. As a result, most of them did not attempt to escape; those who escaped 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 along the slopes of Mont Pele and... swept away everything in its path. In one minute this amazing, thriving town was completely destroyed. Factories, houses, trees, people - everything was melted, torn out, poisoned, burned, tormented. It is believed that the death of the unfortunates occurred in the first three minutes. Of the 30 thousand inhabitants, only two were lucky enough to survive.

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 occurred, leading to the death of thousands of residents of nearby villages. Mont Pele erupted several more times until 1905, after which it went into hibernation until 1929, when a rather powerful eruption occurred, however, without causing casualties.

These days the volcano is considered inactive, Saint-Pierre is being restored, but after these terrible events it has little chance of regaining the status of the most beautiful city in Martinique.

NEVADO DEL RUIZ

Due to its impressive height (5400m), Nevado del Ruiz is rightfully considered 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 Caldas and Tolima regions.

Nevado del Ruiz is one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world for a reason. Eruptions leading to mass death have occurred three times already. In 1595, over 600 people were buried under the ashes. In 1845, a strong earthquake killed 1 thousand inhabitants.

And finally, in 1985, when the volcano was already considered dormant, 23 thousand people died. 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 residents of nearby areas are at risk of becoming victims of a new eruption every day.

So, in 1985, the crater of the volcano ejected powerful gas-pyroclastic flows. Because of them, the ice at the top melted, which led to the formation of lahars - volcanic flows that instantly moved down the slopes. This avalanche of water, clay, and pumice destroyed everything in its path. Destroying rocks, soil, plants and absorbing it all, 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, epidemic 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 moans - this is what appeared before the eyes of the rescuers who arrived the next day.

To understand the horror of the tragedy, let's take a look at the now famous photograph of journalist Frank Fournier. It shows 13-year-old Omaira Sanchez, who, finding herself 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, and 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 practically invisible; it can only be seen from space. We can be on the surface of this kind of volcano for thousands of years, and only learn about its existence at the moment of a catastrophe. It is worth noting that while an ordinary fire-breathing mountain has an eruption, such a supervolcano has an explosion.

The Toba eruption, 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 the ash deposits that covered South Asia, Indian Ocean, Arabian and South China Seas, reached 800 km³. Thousands of years later, scientists discovered the smallest ash particles 7 thousand km away. from a volcano on the territory of the African Lake Nyasa.

As a result of the huge amount of ash emitted by the volcano, the sun was obscured. A real volcanic winter set in, lasting several years.

The number of people decreased sharply - only a few thousand people managed to survive! It is with the explosion of Toba that the “bottleneck” effect is associated - a theory according to which in ancient times the human population was distinguished by genetic diversity, but most of the people suddenly died out 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 areas adjacent to the volcano were rich in dense forests, which indicated the long-term hibernation of El Chichon. However, on March 28, 1982, after 12 hundred years of peaceful sleep, the fire-breathing mountain demonstrated its full destructive power. The first stage of the eruption entailed powerful explosion, as a result of which a huge ash column (height - 27 km) formed over the crater, which covered an area within a radius of 100 km in less than an hour.

A huge amount of tephra was released into the atmosphere, and heavy ashfalls occurred around the volcano. About 2 thousand people died. It should be noted that the evacuation of the population was poorly organized and the process was slow. Many residents left the territory, but after a while they returned, which, of course, led to dire consequences for them.

In May of the same year, the next eruption occurred, which was 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.

The disaster was not going to stop there. Local residents suffered two more Plinian eruptions, which generated a 29-kilometer column of ash. The number of victims again reached a thousand people.

The consequences of the eruption affected the country's climate. A huge cloud of ash covered 240 square km; in the capital, visibility was only a few meters. Due to ash particles hanging in the layers of the stratosphere, a noticeable cooling occurred.

In addition, the natural balance has been disrupted. Many birds and animals were destroyed. Some types of insects began to grow rapidly, which resulted in 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 for the number of human casualties! In Iceland alone, almost 20 thousand lives were lost – 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 residents about the upcoming danger as best it could. Seismic displacements, uplifting land, raging geysers, explosions of pillars into the air, 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, scared them, but no one attempted to escape. People were confident that their homes were strong enough to protect them from the eruption. They hunkered down at home, tightly locking the windows and doors.

In January, the formidable neighbor made himself known. He raged until June. During these six months of eruptions, Mount Skaptar-Ekul split open and a huge 24-meter chasm formed. Harmful gases came out and formed a powerful lava flow. Imagine how many such flows there were - hundreds of craters erupted! When the flows reached the sea, the lava solidified, but the water boiled, and all the fish within a radius of several kilometers from the shore died.

Sulfur dioxide covered the entire territory of Iceland, which led to acid rain and destruction of vegetation. As a result Agriculture suffered significantly, hunger and disease struck the surviving inhabitants.

Soon “Hungry Haze” reached all of Europe, and a few years later to China. The climate changed, dust particles did not allow the rays of the sun to pass through, summer never came. Temperatures dropped by 1.3 ºC, leading to cold-related deaths, crop failure and famine in many European countries. The eruption even left its mark on Africa. Due to the abnormal cold, the temperature contrast was minimal, which led to a decrease in monsoon activity, drought, shallowing of the Nile, and crop failure. Africans died en masse from starvation.

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, near the cities of Messina and Catania. Its circumference is 140 km and covers an area of ​​approximately 1.4 thousand square meters. km.

There have been approximately 140 powerful eruptions of this volcano in modern times. In 1669 Catania was destroyed. In 1893, the Silvestri crater appeared. In 1911 a northeastern crater formed. In 1992 a huge lava flow stopped near Zafferana Etnea. The last time the volcano erupted lava was 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 depths 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 quite restless volcano: since 1548 it has erupted 68 times!

The close proximity to such an active fire-breathing mountain is very dangerous. But, as is usually the case in economically undeveloped countries, local residents, without thinking about the risk, appreciate the benefit that the mineral-rich soil gives them - abundant harvests. Thus, about 1.5 million people currently live near Marapi.

Strong eruptions occur every 7 years, smaller ones every couple of years, and the volcano smokes almost daily. Disaster 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.

One of the most famous eruptions in history led to the destruction of not only Pompeii, but also three other Roman cities - Herculaneum, Oplontium and Stabia. Pompeii, located about 10 kilometers from the crater of Vesuvius, was filled with lava and covered with a huge layer of small pieces of pumice. Most of the townspeople managed to flee Pompeii, but about 2 thousand people still died from poisonous sulfur dioxide gases. Pompeii was so deeply buried under ash and hardened lava that the ruins of the city could not be discovered until the end of the 16th century.

“The Last Day of Pompeii” by Bryullov. (wikimedia.org)

Volcano Etna, 1669

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily, the tallest active volcano in Europe, has erupted more than 200 times, destroying a settlement every 150 years. However, this does not stop the Sicilians: they still settle on the slopes of the volcano. The volcano caused the most significant destruction in 1669: then Etna erupted, according to some sources, for more than six months. The eruption of 1669 changed the contours of the coast beyond recognition: Ursino Castle, which stood on the very shore of the sea, after the eruption found itself at a distance of 2.5 kilometers from the water. At the same time, lava covered the city walls of Catania and burned the homes of about 30 thousand people.

Eruption of Etna. (wikimedia.org)

Volcano Tambora, 1815

Tambora is located on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, but the eruption of this volcano caused starvation of people around the world. The Tambora eruption affected the climate so much that it was followed by the so-called “year without summer.” The eruption itself ended with the volcano literally exploding: the 4-kilometer giant instantly broke into pieces, throwing almost 2 million tons of debris into the air and at the same time sinking the island of Sumbawa itself. More than ten thousand people instantly died, but the troubles did not end there: the explosion created a huge tsunami up to nine meters high, which hit the neighboring islands and killed hundreds human lives. The volcanic debris, which flew up to 40 kilometers high, crumbled in the air into tiny dust, light enough to exist in such a state in the atmosphere. This dust then traveled into the stratosphere and began to swirl around the Earth, reflecting rays coming from the Sun back into space, which deprived the Earth of much of its heat and turned sunsets a spectacular orange color. Many experts tend to consider the Tambora eruption the most destructive in history.

Tambora eruption. (wikimedia.org)

Volcano Mont Pele, 1902

Early in the morning of May 8, Mont Pele was literally torn to pieces - 4 powerful explosions destroyed the stone giant. Fire lava rushed along the slopes towards one of the main ports of the island of Martinique. A cloud of hot ash completely covered the disaster area. As a result of the eruption, about 36 thousand people died, and one of the two surviving islanders was shown in the circus for a long time.

Martinique Island after the eruption of Mont Pelée. (wikimedia.org)

Vulcan Ruiz, 1985

Ruiz had long been considered an extinct volcano, but in 1985 he reminded Colombians of himself. On November 13, several explosions were heard one after another, the strongest of which was estimated by experts to be approximately 10 megatons. The column of ash and rock rose to a height of eight kilometers. The eruption caused the greatest destruction to the city of Armero, located 50 kilometers from the volcano, which ceased to exist within 10 minutes. More than 20 thousand citizens died, oil pipelines were damaged, rivers overflowed their banks due to melted snow on the mountain tops, roads were washed out, and power lines were demolished. Colombia's economy suffered enormous damage.

Eruption of the Ruiz volcano. (wikimedia.org)

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.

Novarupta Volcano, USA

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 the area within a radius of one hundred kilometers. After the volcanic eruption, due to the huge amount of pollution, it was night for three days within a radius of 500 km. From him. According to eyewitnesses, nothing was visible beyond his 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. The next year after the eruption was very difficult for the inhabitants of this area, it was called “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.

Volcano Tambora, Indonesia

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.

Volcano Krakatoa

3. In May 1902, one of the worst disasters of the twentieth century broke out. 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.

Volcano Mont Pele

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.

Volcano Ruiz, Colombia Volcano Unzen

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 appeared back 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.