The first 23 years of the 21st century have included a number of powerful explosive volcanic
eruptions.
These include the 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai volcano which caused a
Pacific wide tsunami and caused the volcano which was once one large island to be obliterated
into two smaller islands, the 2010 eruption of the hard to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull
volcano in Iceland, which led to more than 100,000 flights being cancelled in Europe,
marking the largest air traffic disruption since world war 2, and the 2021 eruption of
La Soufriere in the Caribbean which destroyed two large lava domes, caused 20,000 people
to evacuate, and left behind a brand new 800 meter wide and 200 meter deep crater in its
place.
Thus, comparing these three eruptions and other large explosive eruptions which have
occurred this century, where does the April 11th 2023 eruption of Shiveluch in Russia
rank?
Although these numbers are purely an estimate by myself, of the 24 VEI 4 or larger explosive
eruptions which have occurred so far in the 21st century, the April 11 2023 eruption of
Shiveluch in Russia ranks in as 16th with the full list being shown here.
You might note that the total size of tephra emitted from the combination of the 2nd through
24th largest explosive eruptions this century is still slightly less than half the amount
emitted during the explosive eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai on January 15th 2022 which
may have totalled as much as 14.7 cubic kilometers of tephra.
This eruption caused the volcano to explode in a multimegaton blast, creating a sound
that was confirmed to have been heard as far away as Fairbanks in Alaska and possibly central
Yukon; a whopping 6,089 miles or 9,800 kilometers distant.
Then, as heavy ash fell, the center of this volcano lost 750 meters or 2,460 feet in height
as a several kilometer wide section of this volcano collapsed into a caldera.
The second largest eruption to occur in this period was the 2011 eruption of Puyehue-Cordón
Caulle in Chile which ejected 1 cubic kilometer of tephra, being rated as a VEI 5.
This eruption produced a large swath of a rare obsidian rich lava flow, up to 6 mile
long pyroclastic flows, and a plinian eruption column.
The third largest eruption also occurred in Chile, when in 2008 a high end VEI 4 eruption
emplaced a large rhyolite lava dome at the Chaiten volcano.
In fourth place is the largest eruption to occur in Iceland this century and no it is
not Eyjafjallajökull.
Rather, in 2011 the Grimsvotn volcano erupted, causing some flight cancellations and ejecting
approximately 0.74 cubic kilometers of tephra in what was this volcano's largest explosive
eruption in approximately 10,000 years.
In fifth is the highly explosive 2019 eruption of Raikoke in Russia, which ejected 1.5 million
tons of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, causing unusual sunsets in sections of the
northern hemisphere for several weeks.
Number 6 is the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull, which although it began with a fissure eruption,
shifted to an explosive summit eruption which emitted large volumes of ash that caused large
swaths of European air traffic to be grounded for a time.
Number 7 is the 2009 eruption of Sarchev Peak which was much like the 2019 eruption of Raikoke,
albeit being 24% smaller.
8th was the November 3rd 2002 eruption of Reventador in Ecuador which produced a tall
eruption column and a 9 kilometer long pyroclastic flow.
9th was the temporary island forming eruption of Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba in Japan which produced
more than 100 million tons of pumice which ended up washing ashore on several Japanese
coastlines.
10th was the 2021 eruption of La Soufriere in the Caribbean, which caused a large evacuation
and left behind an 800 meter wide explosion crater.
And now, a brief photo overview of the 11th through 24th place explosive eruptions during
the 21st century.
2015 Calbuco in Chile.
2008 Okmok in Alaska.
2011 Nabro in Eritrea. 2008 Kasatochi in Alaska.
2010 Merapi in Indonesia.
2023 Shiveluch in Russia.
2006 Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. 2014 Kelud in Indonesia.
2004 Manam in Indonesia.
2020 Taal in the Philippines.
2013 Sinabung in Indonesia.
2021 Semeru in Indonesia.
2000 Ulawun in Papua New Guinea, and 2015 Manam in Papua New Guinea.
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