10 Most Powerful Volcanic Eruption in History

On this occasion, we will look at some of the biggest volcanic eruption in history as measured by Volcanic explosivity index (VEI), a classification system similar to the magnitude of the earthquake. This system was developed in the 1980s, and uses factors such as eruption volume, eruption rate, and other variables to measure the strength of a volcanic eruption. Scale from 1 to 8, and every increase of 1 VEI, the eruption would be 10 times more powerful than the scale below. Until now there has been no volcanic eruptions that reach the scale of VEI 8 in the last 10,000 years, but the history of mankind has seen some very strong eruptions and devastating. Here we present 10 volcanic eruptions are the most powerful in the last 4,000 years (in human history).

1.    Mount Tambora, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia - 1815 VEI 7

The eruption of Mount Tambora was the largest volcanic eruption ever recorded by humans, and given the scale of VEI 7 (or "super-colossal"). The volcano is still active until now, used to be one of the tallest peaks in the Indonesian archipelago. The eruption reached its peak in April 1815, when the mountain erupted, his voice sounded so loud even to the island of Sumatra, which is more than 2000 km. The death toll from the eruption is estimated at 71,000 people, and the ash cloud spread to a distant place.

2. Mount Changbaishan, China and North Korea Border - 1000 BC VEI 7

Also known as Mount Baitoushan, eruption is spewing volcanic material as far away as northern Japan, which is about 1,200 kilometers. Also created a huge caldera eruptions about 4.5 miles wide and nearly as deep as 1 km at the top of the mountain. The caldera is now filled with water and become a lake Tianchi, which is a popular tourist destination both for its natural beauty as well as the appearance of an unidentified creature that allegedly live in it. The mountain last erupted in 1702, and geologists consider it no longer active. Emissions reported out of the summit and nearby hot springs in 1994, but there is no evidence of volcanic activity was observed since it anymore.

3. Mount Thera, Santorini Island, Greece - Around 1610 BC VEI 7

Geologists think that the mountain of Thera in the Aegean Islands erupted with energy expend several hundred atomic bombs in a split second. Although there is no written record of this eruption, geologists feel this could be a volcano letusaan strongest ever witnessed. The island is a place for this volcano, Santorini (part of a volcanic archipelago), also home to the Minoan civilization, though there are some indications that the inhabitants of the island volcano will erupt suspect and fled. Because of the tsunami and the drop in temperature caused by a large number of sulfur dioxide spewed into the atmosphere and climate change.

4. Mount Ilopango, El Salvador - 450 BC VEI 6 +

The mountain is located in the center of El Salvador, just a few kilometers east of the capital San Salvador. The mountain is only experienced two eruptions in history, the first known eruption blanketed much of central and western El Salvador with pumice and ash, and destroyed the early Maya cities, forcing the residents to flee. Disrupted trade routes, and the centers of the Maya civilization shifted from the highlands of El Salvador to the low-lying areas in the north and in Guatemala. Caldera peak of this mountain is now a place for one of the largest lakes in El Salvador.

5. Ambrym Island, Vanuatu Republic - 50 BC VEI 6 +

Volcanic island covering an area of ​​665 square km, part of a small nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean, witnessed one of the most impressive in the history of eruptions, ash eruption that sent a wave of heat and dust down the mountain and formed a caldera 12 miles wide. The volcano continues to be one of the most active in the world. This mountain has erupted nearly 50 times since 1774, and has been proven to be a dangerous place for locals. In 1894, six people were killed by the volcanic eruption and four others were killed by lava flows, and in 1979, acid rain caused by volcanoes also took its toll a few souls.

6. Mount Pinatubo, Luzon, Philippines - 1991 VEI 6

This mountain is a stratovolcano located in the chain of volcanoes along subduction zones, the massive eruption of Pinatubo was a classic explosive eruption. Eruptions eject more than 5 cubic kilometers of material into the air and create a column of ash as high as 35 km in the atmosphere. Abu then crashed in the countryside, and accumulate so some roofs collapsed under the weight. The blast also spew millions of tons of sulfur dioxide and particulate matter into the air, which spread around the world by air currents and cause global temperatures decreased by about 0.5 degrees Celsius over the next year.

7. Novarupta, Peninsula Alaska - June, 1912 VEI 6

Novarupta eruption, one of a chain of volcanoes on the Alaska Peninsula, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, is the largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. The eruption sent a very strong 12.5 cubic km of magma and ash into the air, coming down and covering an area of ​​7,800 square kilometers with a depth of more than 30 cm of ash.

8. Mount Santa Maria, Guatemala - 1902 VEI 6

The eruption of Mount Santa Maria in 1902, is one of the largest eruptions of the 20th century. The eruption occurred after the volcano dormant for about 500 years, and left a large crater, nearly as wide as 1.5 km on the southwest side of the mountain. The volcano has experienced a continuous activity since the last eruption, and a VEI 3 eruption occurred in 1922. In 1929, Santa Maria spewing pyroclastic flow (wall of hot gas and ash that is moving very fast), which claimed hundreds of lives and may have killed as many as 5,000 people.

9. Mount Krakatau, Sunda Strait, Indonesia - 1883 VEI 6

Rumble that precedes the end of the eruption of Krakatoa in a few weeks in 1883 finally reached a climax with a huge eruption on 26-27 April. Explosive eruption of the stratovolcano located in a volcanic island arc along the subduction zone in the Indo-Australian plate, issued a large number of rock, ash and pumice and the eruption itself heard even thousands of miles away.

The eruption also created a tsunami, with waves reaching a maximum height of 40 meters and killed about 34,000 people. The effects of the tidal wave was felt even in the Arabian Peninsula, which is 11,000 miles away. While the island where Krakatoa was destroyed in the eruption, Krakatoa erupted in December 1927 and left Anak Krakatau, in the middle of the caldera cone generated by the eruption 1883. Anak Krakatau secara sporadis aktif, dan membentuk pulau baru dalam bayang-bayang induknya.

10. Huaynaputina, Peru - 1600 VEI 6

This peak is the site of the largest volcanic eruption in South America in history. This eruption sent mud as far as the Pacific Ocean, which is 120 km away, and seem to have affected global climate. The summer after the eruption of 1600 was the coldest in 500 years. Ash from the explosion buried 50 square km area west of the mountain, which to this day remain shrouded. Despite having a height of 4,850 meters Huaynaputina, he remains an active volcano. He stood along the edge of the abyss. 1600 natural disasters damaging nearby towns such as Arequipa and Moquengua, newly recovered fully over a century later.