Volcanic eruptions in the 21st century- a fairly common phenomenon, especially on the coast of Mexico, the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and New Zealand.
There are somewhere between 1000-1500 volcanoes on Earth. Therefore, today the eruptions remain relevant. Many volcanoes form at the boundaries of slowly moving lithospheric plates, some arise at the bottom of the oceans. They are divided into active and extinct. Active ones are those that erupt or may erupt, extinct ones are volcanoes that stopped their activity in ancient times. Most active volcanoes, being relatively close to each other, formed the so-called Ring of Fire. It is located around the Pacific Ocean.
How do volcanoes behave in the 21st century?
- Active volcanoes periodically confirm their name with active eruptions. One of the largest was the eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2002. A volcano called Nyiragongo erupted. The consequences of this disaster were dire: most of the city of Goma, which was located 10 km from the volcano and 14 villages, were covered with hot magma. About 300 thousand residents had to leave their homes to escape from the terrible disaster, 100 people died. Coffee and banana plantations were badly damaged.
- The highest European volcano Etna also caused a lot of trouble in its time, namely: in October 2002. And only two months later, the eruption stopped. Lava destroyed a tourist complex with a hotel and ski lifts, agriculture was badly damaged, which hit Sicily's economy as a whole. The Mediterranean pine groves were wiped off the face of the earth. The activity of this volcano was observed after, the last one falls on 2011.
- In 2003, the Soufriere volcano, located on the island of Montserrat (owned by Great Britain), made itself felt. This catastrophe caused enormous material damage. Due to volcanic gases, acid rain and ash that covered almost the entire territory of the island, the area was assigned the status of a disaster zone. Fishing and agricultural activities suffered heavy losses.
- The whole world was alarmed at the time by the volcano Merapi, located on the island in Indonesia, Java. In the summer of 2006, its eruption reached such proportions that a plume of smoke stretched for 4 km, which is why the authorities banned aircraft from flying over the island on the international airlines of Singapore and Australia. A month later, there was a second eruption, as a result of which 20 thousand people were evacuated.
- In August of the same year, the world was shocked by the news of the eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, which is located 180 km from Kyoto, the capital of Ecuador. Many people suffered from burns, injuries, six people died. Thousands of local residents had to evacuate, leaving their homes. Many animals and plants have suffered from the poisonous smoke.
- The eruption of the Puyehue volcano, located on the Chilean side of the Andes, is notable for the fact that the height of the ash column reached 12 km, and in the resort town of Argentina, San Carlos de Barilochete, there was a hail of stones and ash. I also had to suspend the work of the local airport. Fortunately, there were no casualties, because everyone was safely evacuated.
- The awakening of the sleeping volcano Merapi in October 2010 was a real surprise for everyone. It is located on the already mentioned Java island. In two weeks, lava spilled over 5 km, and a huge amount of volcanic ash was thrown into the atmosphere. Because of this, 400 thousand people were forced to evacuate. Air traffic was disrupted.
- In April of the same year, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano re-activated with renewed vigor. And again because of this, countries such as Ireland, Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal and others were forced to stop the operation of some airports. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (Iceland) caused a huge number of problems, due to which many flights had to be canceled throughout Europe. Eighteen countries had no choice but to completely block air travel. It happened in May 2010. A cloud of smoke, which was formed as a result of the eruption, covered most of Europe.
- May 2010 was a day of tragic events, because the eruption of the Pacaya volcano in Guatemala claimed 2 human lives, three went missing, 60 people suffered from wounds of varying severity, and 2 thousand lost their homes.
- Ash clouds from the eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano, which is located in Iceland, have reached the limits of Sweden, Great Britain and Holland. This happened at the end of May 2015, some flights at that time had to be canceled.
- The eruption of the Ontake volcano in Japan began in late September 2014. As a result of the eruption, many toxic gases and dust were released into the atmosphere. And this is not surprising, because the height of the column of smoke was 10 km. Unfortunately, there were victims: about 70 people were injured due to gas poisoning, 6 people were missing, 57 people died. This happened because the disaster came as a surprise to the rescue services.
Volcanic eruptions are very dangerous for human life. As a result of such disasters, residential and agricultural facilities are being destroyed, a huge amount of dust and poisonous gases are emitted into the atmosphere, and people are dying. Unfortunately, no one is immune from this.
But in consolation, it must be said that there is the International Association of Volcanology and Earth Chemistry, which works on the study of the activity of volcanoes and monitors their activity. The main task of this organization is to identify volcanoes, whose eruptions are most likely, and which can harm people. Thanks to the activities of the association, large-scale evacuations are carried out on time, minimizing the possible number of victims.
According to various estimates, there are from 1000 to 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. Distinguish between active, that is, constantly or periodically erupting, dormant and extinct volcanoes, about the eruption of which there is no historical data. Almost 90% of active volcanoes are located in the so-called fire belt of the Earth - a chain of seismically active zones and volcanoes, including underwater ones, stretching from the coast of Mexico to the south through the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and to New Zealand.
Mauna Loa, Hawaii
The largest of the active volcanoes on earth is Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, USA - 4170 m above sea level and about 10,000 m from the base on the ocean floor; the crater has an area of more than 10 square kilometers.
Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo
January 17, 2002 - the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than half of the city of Goma, located 10 km away, and 14 surrounding villages were buried under the lava flows. The disaster claimed more than 100 lives and expelled up to 300 thousand inhabitants from their homes. The coffee and banana plantations were severely damaged.
Etna, Italy
On October 27, 2002, the eruption of the Sicilian volcano Etna, the highest in Europe (3329 m above sea level), began. The eruption ended only on January 30, 2003. Volcanic lava destroyed several tourist campsites, a hotel, ski lifts and Mediterranean pine groves. The volcanic eruption caused about 140 million euros of damage to the agriculture of Sicily. It also erupted in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011.
Soufriere, Montserrat Island
July 12, 2003 - the eruption of the Soufriere volcano on Montserrat island (Lesser Antilles archipelago, British possession). The island with an area of 102 sq km has suffered significant material damage. Ashes covering almost the entire island, acid rain and volcanic gases destroyed up to 95 percent of the harvest, and the fishing industry suffered heavy losses. The island has been declared a disaster area.
On February 12, 2010, the eruption of the Soufriere volcano began again. Powerful "rain" from the ashes fell on several settlements of the Gran-Terre island (Guadeloupe, French possession). All schools in Pointe-a-Pitra were closed. The local airport was temporarily closed.
Merapi, Java island
In May 2006, during the eruption of Mount Merapi on the Indonesian island of Java, the most active of the island's 42 volcanoes, a four-kilometer column of smoke and ash rose, in connection with which the authorities announced a ban on flights of aircraft not only over Java, but also on international airlines from Australia to Singapore.
On June 14, 2006, the eruption occurred again. Up to 700 thousand cubic meters of hot lava flowed down the slopes. 20 thousand people were evacuated.
As a result of the eruption on October 26, 2010, which lasted for about two weeks, lava flows spread over five kilometers, more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ash mixed with basalt dust and sand were thrown into the atmosphere. The disaster killed 347 people, over 400 thousand residents were evacuated. The eruption disrupted flights over the island.
Tungurahua, Ecuador
On August 17, 2006, in Ecuador, as a result of a powerful eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, located 180 km from the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, at least six people died, dozens were burned and injured. Thousands of peasants were forced to leave their homes, due to poisonous gases and ash, there was a death of livestock, almost the entire crop died.
Redout, USA
In 2009, Alaska Airlines repeatedly canceled flights due to the eruption of the Redout volcano, from the crater of which ash was thrown up to a height of 15 km. The volcano is located 176 km southwest of the city of Anchorage (Alaska, USA).
Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland
On April 14, 2010, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull led to the largest crisis in the history of passenger aviation. The resulting ash cloud covered almost all of Europe, which led to the fact that in the period from 15 to 20 April 18 European states completely closed their skies, and the rest of the countries were forced to close and open their airspaces depending on weather conditions. The governments of these countries have decided to terminate flights in connection with the recommendations of the European Bureau for the oversight of the safety of air navigation.
In May 2010, due to another activation of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, the airspace was closed over Northern Ireland, in northwestern Turkey, over Munich (FRG), over northern and partly central England, as well as over a number of regions of Scotland. Airports of London, as well as Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Netherlands) were included in the ban zone. Due to the movement of a cloud of volcanic ash to the south, flights were canceled at the airports of Portugal, northwestern Spain, and northern Italy.
Pacaya, Guatemala
On May 27, 2010 in Guatemala, as a result of the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, two people died, three went missing, 59 were injured and about 2 thousand were left homeless. Agricultural crops were affected by sand and ash, and more than 100 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Grimsvotn, Iceland
On May 22-25, 2011, the volcano Grimsvotn (Iceland) erupted, as a result of which Iceland's airspace was temporarily closed. Ash clouds reached the airspace of Great Britain, Germany and Sweden, some flights were canceled. According to volcanologists, the volcano emitted much more ash into the atmosphere than the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010, but the ash particles were heavier and settled on the ground faster, so the transport collapse was avoided.
Puyehue, Chile
On June 4, 2011, the eruption of the Puyehue volcano, located on the Chilean side of the Andes, began. The ash column reached a height of 12 km. In neighboring Argentina, ash and small stones fell on the resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, and the airports of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay) were paralyzed for several days.
Rokatenda, Indonesia
On August 10, 2013 in Indonesia, the eruption of the Rokatenda volcano, located on the small island of Palue, killed six local residents. About two thousand people were evacuated from the danger zone - a quarter of the inhabitants who were on the island.
Ontake, Japan
Unexpected volcanic eruption on September 27, 2014. It was accompanied by powerful emissions of toxic gases.
Climbers and tourists who were at the time of the eruption on the slopes of the mountain were killed and injured. Japanese doctors have officially confirmed the death of 48 people as a result of the eruption of the Ontake volcano. According to the Japanese press, almost 70 people suffered from poisoning with poisonous gases and damage to the respiratory tract from incandescent volcanic ash. In total, there were about 250 people on the mountain.
According to various estimates, there are from 1000 to 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. Distinguish between active, that is, constantly or periodically erupting, dormant and extinct volcanoes, about the eruption of which there is no historical data. Almost 90% of active volcanoes are located in the so-called fire belt of the Earth - a chain of seismically active zones and volcanoes, including underwater ones, stretching from the coast of Mexico to the south through the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and to New Zealand.
(13 photos total)
Source: tut.by
1. Mauna Loa, Hawaii. (Photo by USGS for Reuters)
The largest of the active volcanoes on earth is Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, USA - 4170 m above sea level and about 10,000 m from the base on the ocean floor; the crater has an area of more than 10 square meters. km.
2. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eruption on August 30, 2010. (Photo: Reuters)
January 17, 2002 - the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than half of the city of Goma, located 10 km away, and 14 surrounding villages were buried under the lava flows. The disaster claimed more than 100 lives and expelled up to 300 thousand inhabitants from their homes. The coffee and banana plantations were severely damaged.
On October 27, 2002, the eruption of the Sicilian volcano Etna, the highest in Europe (3329 m above sea level), began. The eruption ended only on January 30, 2003. Volcanic lava destroyed several tourist campsites, a hotel, ski lifts and Mediterranean pine groves. The volcanic eruption caused about 140 million euros of damage to the agriculture of Sicily. It also erupted in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011.
July 12, 2003 - the eruption of the Soufriere volcano on Montserrat island (Lesser Antilles archipelago, British possession). An island with an area of 102 sq. km, significant material damage was inflicted. Ashes covering almost the entire island, acid rains and volcanic gases destroyed up to 95% of the harvest, and the fishing industry suffered heavy losses. The island has been declared a disaster area.
On February 12, 2010, the eruption of the Soufriere volcano began again. Powerful "rain" from the ashes fell on several settlements of the Gran-Terre island (Guadeloupe, French possession). All schools in Pointe-a-Pitra were closed. The local airport was temporarily closed.
In May 2006, during the eruption of Mount Merapi on the Indonesian island of Java, the most active of the island's 42 volcanoes, a four-kilometer column of smoke and ash rose, in connection with which the authorities announced a ban on flights of aircraft not only over Java, but also on international airlines from Australia to Singapore.
On June 14, 2006, the eruption occurred again. Up to 700 thousand cubic meters of hot lava flowed down the slopes. 20 thousand people were evacuated.
As a result of the eruption on October 26, 2010, which lasted for about two weeks, lava flows spread over five kilometers, more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ash mixed with basalt dust and sand were thrown into the atmosphere. The disaster killed 347 people, over 400 thousand residents were evacuated. The eruption disrupted flights over the island.
On August 17, 2006, in Ecuador, as a result of a powerful eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, located 180 km from the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, at least six people died, dozens were burned and injured. Thousands of peasants were forced to leave their homes, due to poisonous gases and ash, there was a death of livestock, almost the entire crop died.
In 2009, Alaska Airlines repeatedly canceled flights due to the eruption of the Redout volcano, from the crater of which ash was thrown up to 15 km. The volcano is located 176 km southwest of the city of Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
On April 14, 2010, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull led to the largest crisis in the history of passenger aviation. The resulting ash cloud covered almost all of Europe, which led to the fact that in the period from 15 to 20 April 18 European states completely closed their skies, and the rest of the countries were forced to close and open their airspaces depending on weather conditions. The governments of these countries have decided to terminate flights in connection with the recommendations of the European Bureau for the oversight of the safety of air navigation.
In May 2010, due to another activation of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, the airspace was closed over Northern Ireland, in northwestern Turkey, over Munich (FRG), over northern and partly central England, as well as over a number of regions of Scotland. Airports of London, as well as Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Netherlands) were included in the ban zone. Due to the movement of a cloud of volcanic ash to the south, flights were canceled at the airports of Portugal, northwestern Spain, and northern Italy.
On May 27, 2010 in Guatemala, as a result of the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, two people died, three went missing, 59 were injured and about 2 thousand were left homeless. Agricultural crops were affected by sand and ash, and more than 100 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed.
On May 22-25, 2011, the volcano Grimsvotn (Iceland) erupted, as a result of which Iceland's airspace was temporarily closed. Ash clouds reached the airspace of Great Britain, Germany and Sweden, some flights were canceled. According to volcanologists, the volcano emitted much more ash into the atmosphere than the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010, but the ash particles were heavier and settled on the ground faster, so the transport collapse was avoided.
On June 4, 2011, the eruption of the Puyehue volcano, located on the Chilean side of the Andes, began. The ash column reached a height of 12 km. In neighboring Argentina, ash and small stones fell on the resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, and the airports of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay) were paralyzed for several days.
On August 10, 2013 in Indonesia, the eruption of the Rokatenda volcano, located on the small island of Palue, killed six local residents. About two thousand people were evacuated from the danger zone - a quarter of the inhabitants who were on the island.
An unexpected volcanic eruption began on September 27, 2014. It was accompanied by powerful emissions of toxic gases.
Climbers and tourists who were at the time of the eruption on the slopes of the mountain were killed and injured. Japanese doctors have officially confirmed the death of 48 people as a result of the eruption of the Ontake volcano. According to the Japanese press, almost 70 people suffered from poisoning with poisonous gases and damage to the respiratory tract from incandescent volcanic ash. In total, there were about 250 people on the mountain.
According to various estimates, there are from 1000 to 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. Distinguish between active, that is, constantly or periodically erupting, dormant and extinct volcanoes, about the eruption of which there is no historical data. Almost 90% of active volcanoes are located in the so-called fire belt of the Earth - a chain of seismically active zones and volcanoes, including underwater ones, stretching from the coast of Mexico to the south through the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and to New Zealand.
1. Mauna Loa, Hawaii.
The largest of the active volcanoes on earth is Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii, USA - 4170 m above sea level and about 10,000 m from the base on the ocean floor; the crater has an area of more than 10 square meters. km.
2. Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eruption on August 30, 2010.
January 17, 2002 - the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than half of the city of Goma, located 10 km away, and 14 surrounding villages were buried under the lava flows. The disaster claimed more than 100 lives and expelled up to 300 thousand inhabitants from their homes. The coffee and banana plantations were severely damaged.
On October 27, 2002, the eruption of the Sicilian volcano Etna, the highest in Europe (3329 m above sea level), began. The eruption ended only on January 30, 2003. Volcanic lava destroyed several tourist campsites, a hotel, ski lifts and Mediterranean pine groves. The volcanic eruption caused about 140 million euros of damage to the agriculture of Sicily. It also erupted in 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2011.
July 12, 2003 - the eruption of the Soufriere volcano on Montserrat island (Lesser Antilles archipelago, British possession). An island with an area of 102 sq. km, significant material damage was inflicted. Ashes covering almost the entire island, acid rains and volcanic gases destroyed up to 95% of the harvest, and the fishing industry suffered heavy losses. The island has been declared a disaster area.
On February 12, 2010, the eruption of the Soufriere volcano began again. Powerful "rain" from the ashes fell on several settlements of the Gran-Terre island (Guadeloupe, French possession). All schools in Pointe-a-Pitra were closed. The local airport was temporarily closed.
In May 2006, during the eruption of Mount Merapi on the Indonesian island of Java, the most active of the island's 42 volcanoes, a four-kilometer column of smoke and ash rose, in connection with which the authorities announced a ban on flights of aircraft not only over Java, but also on international airlines from Australia to Singapore.
On June 14, 2006, the eruption occurred again. Up to 700 thousand cubic meters of hot lava flowed down the slopes. 20 thousand people were evacuated.
As a result of the eruption on October 26, 2010, which lasted for about two weeks, lava flows spread over five kilometers, more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ash mixed with basalt dust and sand were thrown into the atmosphere. The disaster killed 347 people, over 400 thousand residents were evacuated. The eruption disrupted flights over the island.
On August 17, 2006, in Ecuador, as a result of a powerful eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, located 180 km from the Ecuadorian capital of Quito, at least six people died, dozens were burned and injured. Thousands of peasants were forced to leave their homes, due to poisonous gases and ash, there was a death of livestock, almost the entire crop died.
In 2009, Alaska Airlines repeatedly canceled flights due to the eruption of the Redout volcano, from the crater of which ash was thrown up to 15 km. The volcano is located 176 km southwest of the city of Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
On April 14, 2010, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull led to the largest crisis in the history of passenger aviation. The resulting ash cloud covered almost all of Europe, which led to the fact that in the period from 15 to 20 April 18 European states completely closed their skies, and the rest of the countries were forced to close and open their airspaces depending on weather conditions. The governments of these countries have decided to terminate flights in connection with the recommendations of the European Bureau for the oversight of the safety of air navigation.
In May 2010, due to another activation of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, the airspace was closed over Northern Ireland, in northwestern Turkey, over Munich (FRG), over northern and partly central England, as well as over a number of regions of Scotland. Airports of London, as well as Amsterdam and Rotterdam (Netherlands) were included in the ban zone. Due to the movement of a cloud of volcanic ash to the south, flights were canceled at the airports of Portugal, northwestern Spain, and northern Italy.
On May 27, 2010 in Guatemala, as a result of the eruption of the Pacaya volcano, two people died, three went missing, 59 were injured and about 2 thousand were left homeless. Agricultural crops were affected by sand and ash, and more than 100 residential buildings were damaged or destroyed.
On May 22-25, 2011, the volcano Grimsvotn (Iceland) erupted, as a result of which Iceland's airspace was temporarily closed. Ash clouds reached the airspace of Great Britain, Germany and Sweden, some flights were canceled. According to volcanologists, the volcano emitted much more ash into the atmosphere than the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in April 2010, but the ash particles were heavier and settled on the ground faster, so the transport collapse was avoided.
On June 4, 2011, the eruption of the Puyehue volcano, located on the Chilean side of the Andes, began. The ash column reached a height of 12 km. In neighboring Argentina, ash and small stones fell on the resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, and the airports of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay) were paralyzed for several days.
Climbers and tourists who were at the time of the eruption on the slopes of the mountain were killed and injured. Japanese doctors have officially confirmed the death of 48 people as a result of the eruption of the Ontake volcano. According to the Japanese press, almost 70 people suffered from poisoning with poisonous gases and damage to the respiratory tract from incandescent volcanic ash. In total, there were about 250 people on the mountain.
Icelandic volcano erupted five years ago Eyjafjallajokull- one of the most powerful in the XXI century
According to various estimates, there are from 1000 to 1500 active volcanoes on Earth. There are active, dormant and extinct volcanoes. Almost 90% of active volcanoes are located in the so-called "fire belt of the Earth" - a chain of seismically active zones and volcanoes, including underwater ones, stretching from the coast of Mexico to the south through the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos and to New Zealand.
One of the largest was the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, located 125 km east of Reykjavik. It began on March 20, 2010, with varying intensity, continued until the end of June of the same year and led to the largest crisis in the history of passenger aviation. The total size of the emissions, some of which reached heights of up to 9 km, was about 0.25 cubic meters. km. The eruption did not lead to casualties.
The resulting ash cloud covered almost all of Europe. In the period from April 15 to 20, 18 European states completely closed their skies, and the rest of the countries were forced to close and open their airspaces depending on weather conditions. The total losses of the European economy as a result of the crisis in air travel were estimated at almost 4 billion euros, the losses of the tourism sector amounted to about 1 billion euros, airlines - 1.5-2.5 billion euros, the volume of world air transportation decreased in April by 2.4%. The spread of the ash cloud led to the cancellation of about 100 thousand flights of civil aircraft around the world, the crisis affected about 10 million passengers.
How the power of a volcano is measured
Most often, the volcanic explosiveness index (VEI - Volcanic Explosivity Index) is used to measure the power of a volcanic eruption, which reflects the amount of emitted matter in points - from 0 (the so-called Hawaiian eruptions with an insignificant release, less than 10 thousand cubic meters of rock) to 8 ( supervolcanic, emission of more than 1 thousand cubic km of rock).
The eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano
On January 17, 2002, the Nyiragongo volcano erupted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lava flows destroyed most of the 10 km city of Goma and 14 surrounding villages. Killed, according to various sources, from 150 to 254 people, about 350 thousand residents lost their homes. Coffee and banana plantations were damaged a lot.
The eruption had great consequences, despite the fact that the VEI was 1.
About Nyiragongo volcano
Nyiragongo, whose height reaches almost 3.5 kilometers, is one of two active volcanoes in the east of the DRC. It is located just 18 km from Lake Kivu, on the shores of which is the city of Goma
The volcano is considered one of the eight most dangerous volcanoes in the world; lava can flow out of it at a speed of 40 km per hour.
In 1977, its eruption killed dozens of Congolese
The eruption of the Sarychev volcano
On June 11, 2009, an eruption began on the Sarychev volcano, located on the uninhabited island of Matua, belonging to the Great Kuril ridge, VEI indicator - 4).
The eruption of a 1446-meter volcano was accompanied by nine large explosions, ash was thrown up to a height of 16 km, the length of ash plumes reached 1,000 km. The volcano's activity was then even photographed from the International Space Station. According to volcanologists, the eruption was the most powerful for the entire period of observation of the Kuril volcanoes.
What is Sarychev volcano known for?
Powerful eruptions on Sarychev volcano (VEI indicator - 4) took place in 1760, 1878-1879, 1928, 1930. In 1946, the eruption was so strong that stone bombs were scattered 7 km from the crater. On September 23, 1976, a series of explosions destroyed an old lava plug in the volcano's crater, and an ash plume stretched 300 km northeast of Matua Island.
The eruption of the Merapi volcano
On October 26, 2010, volcano Merapi erupted on the Indonesian island of Java (2930 m, VEI - 4).
As a result of the eruption, which lasted for about two weeks, lava flows spread over five kilometers, more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic ash mixed with basalt dust and sand were thrown into the atmosphere.
The disaster killed 347 people, over 400 thousand residents were evacuated. The eruption temporarily disrupted flights over the island. Earlier in May 2006, the volcano had already disrupted flights over the island and on international air routes from Australia to Singapore.
About volcano Merapi
Over the past thousand years, the 2930-meter Merapi (VEI - 4), whose name in translation from the Javanese language means "mountain of fire", erupted at least 67 times, often leading to numerous human casualties and destruction. So, in 1940, the number of victims exceeded 1.3 thousand people, and in 1994, as a result of the eruption, 60 people died.
The eruption of the Puyehue volcano
On June 4, 2011, the 2236-meter Puyehue volcano erupted on the Chilean side of the Andes (VEI - 5).
The ash column reached a height of 12 km. As a result, the resort of San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina was damaged, in which after the eruption there was a hail of small stones and ash.
The airports of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay) were paralyzed for several days.
Thanks to the timely evacuation, there were no casualties.
Ontake volcano eruption
It came as a surprise to volcanologists, so an emergency evacuation was not carried out. The eruption was accompanied by powerful emissions of toxic gases and incandescent ash. The height of the ash column reached 10 km. On the slopes of the mountain, ash clouds covered several hundred climbers and tourists.
Most of the people were able to go down, but 57 people died, six went missing, and about 70 suffered from poisoning with poisonous gases and damage to the respiratory tract with hot volcanic ash.
About volcano Ontake
Volcano Ontake is 3067 m high, located about 200 km west of Tokyo at the junction of Gifu and Nagano prefectures. Ontake is the second highest mountain peak in the country after the famous Fuji and is very popular with both locals and foreign tourists.
He was last active in 2007. A major volcanic eruption occurred in 1979, when it threw out more than 200 thousand tons of ash.
