one of the most destructive and terrifying natural disasters that our earth has to give us
are volcanoes powerful enough to do anything from destroying cities to affecting global climates
volcanoes are literal doorways to hell pathways to the molten areas under the earth's crust
scientists have developed a scale to measure the intensity of volcanic eruptions very similar to
the richter scale for earthquakes the size and intensity of volcanic eruptions is measured
using something called the volcanic explosivity index or the vei the scale goes from a one to an
eight eruptions ranked as a one are very small outpourings of lava while eruptions classified
as an eight are the ones that are the most explosive and devastating out of all the
volcanic eruptions in recent history five have stood above the rest as being the largest from
krakatoa to mount tambora here are the top five largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history
lockheed is a volcano in southern iceland that is bisected by a volcanic fissure which is a long
linear vent through which lava erupts a violent eruption in 1783 caused massive amounts of damage
and affected regions that extended far past the icelandic borders for starters this eruption
was not like any other eruption in recorded history it lasted for eight months between
june of 1783 and february of 1784 ejecting an estimated 3.4 cubic miles of basalt lava lava
flow destroyed 20 villages additionally there was enough poisonous gases expelled to contaminate
soil and create acid rain that poured over much of the region as a result over 50 percent of the
island's livestock died as did nearly all of the crops grown this led to a widespread famine which
killed over 10 000 which was roughly a quarter of the island's population the effects were not
just felt in iceland though during the eruption period 8 million tons of hydrogen fluoride and
nearly 120 million tons of sulfur dioxide were expelled into the atmosphere in africa and india
the monsoon seasons produced much less rain which resulted in famine and lower river flows
in europe a thick haze settled over the continent killing tens of thousands by way of poisoning
in great britain alone over 23 000 people died from respiratory issues linked to the eruption
the northern island of luzon in the philippines is home to mount pinatubo
an active volcano that is part of the zambali's mountains
in june of 1991 the volcano erupted with enough power to send shockwaves around
the earth leading up to the eruption though there had been warning signs that activity was brewing
just below the surface from june 7th to the 12th the first magma reached the surface of the volcano
however there were very few gases found in this magma and it just oozed out to form a lava dome
but it was only the beginning on june 12th more magma came to the surface accompanied by gases
millions of cubic yards of ash and lava exploded blackening the sky as powerful as this eruption
was though it was still not the worst the mountain had to offer on june 15 1991 an even larger pocket
of magma and gas reached the surface resulting in a vei-6 explosion that ejected over 1.2 cubic
miles of material huge pyroclastic flows were sent down the mountain destroying everything in its
path it was even enough to fill valleys that were 660 feet deep so much magma and rock from below
the volcano was ejected that the summit collapsed leaving a caldera that measured 1.6 miles wide
although only 722 people were killed the eruption left more than 200 000 people homeless
the average temperature of the earth lowered by over half a degree for almost two years afterwards
just outside of el salvador's capital city san salvador lies the ilopango volcano ranking as
a six to seven on the volcanic explosivity index this volcano had a huge eruption sometime around
450 a.d although the exact date isn't known it was the largest eruption in the country during
the past 10 000 years as well as the largest in central america when illopango erupted the blast
destroyed several mayan cities nearly wiping out the population in the area however the deaths from
this eruption did not happen all at once but spend over a few months this eruption ejected more than
70 cubic kilometers of tephra and spewed enough ash to cover over 10 000 square kilometers 50
millimeters deep it is believed that this eruption was responsible for a global climate cooling event
that was felt as far away as rome because of this climate change crops failed and people starved
in the immediate area the skies were filled with ash and dust for more than a year
over 100 000 people died with more than 400 000 people being displaced from their homes
the once thriving mayan population was forced from the highlands fleeing to the lowland areas
in guatemala and belize the region would not fully recover for another several centuries
in 1883 on the indonesian island of krakatoa one of the most violent eruptions to ever be seen
occurred it was so powerful that it almost completely destroyed the island on which
it resides in the years before the eruption the area experienced regular seismic activity
the intensity of these volcanoes was felt as far away as australia beginning in may
of 1883 steam venting began to occur in the following weeks minor eruptions would occur
thick black clouds of ash would cover the island for days at a time they caused the
tides to be unusually high even earthquakes were triggered in the surrounding areas
finally on august 27th of that year four enormous explosions occurred which marked the climax of the
eruption the first occurred at 5 30 a.m triggering a massive tsunami that traveled towards modern day
bandar lampoon the second explosion happened at 6 44 am triggering another tsunami that
traveled both eastward and westward the third explosion was the largest happening at 1002 am
it was so violent and loud measuring between a six and a seven that it could be heard over 1
900 miles away in perth western australia the loudness of the blast has been estimated to
have been 310 decibels even louder than the largest man-made explosion that saw
bomba at 10 41 am a landslide on the rakata volcano triggered the fourth explosion
resulting in nearly 70 percent of the island being destroyed the combination of pyroclastic
flows and tsunamis claim to the lives of over 36 000 people and the destruction of the island
topping off our list at number one is the eruption of mount tambora measuring as a seven on the vei
it is not only the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history it is also the deadliest mount
tambora is located on the island of zambawa in indonesia in the early 1800s it was part
of the dutch east indies until 1812 the volcano had experienced several centuries of dormancy
but that year magma started filling the volcano's chamber once again and the mountain periodically
rumbled and produced dark clouds it continued like this for the next couple of years culminating in
a catastrophic event in 1815. on april 5th the volcano exploded generating a sound wave that
was heard up to 870 miles away but this wasn't an isolated explosion mount tambora stayed in a state
of eruption for days on april 10th the eruptions intensified the entire mountain was nearly turned
into a flowing mass of lava flaming pumice stones measuring around eight inches in diameter were
spit out raining down on nearby villages soon after pyroclastic flows cascaded down every side
of the mountain into the sea below destroying cities and villages after everything was said
and done every bit of vegetation on the island was destroyed and over 120 000 lives were lost
along with creating clouds that rained ash on countries hundreds of miles away the tsunamis
generated took the lives of nearly 4 600 from east java to the maluka islands as the volcano ejected
between 38 and 43 cubic miles of material into the atmosphere it affected global temperatures
by nearly a full degree there has been no volcanic eruption since to have exacted such a toll
both in terms of climate and lives lost while volcanic eruptions are scary they're really no
match for super volcanoes to see our video about the biggest super volcanoes on earth be sure to
click the link on screen now as always thanks for watching and we'll see you in the next one