SJ Desk
lanet Earth currently hosts more than 500 active volcanoes, out of which, more than half of them are present in the region of Pacific ocean. During a volcanic eruption, it is not just the blast containing volcanic ember and the lava flow that causes deadly consequences. But in most of the cases, a volcanic blast can lead to a chain reaction which might further instigate a series of natural disasters like earthquake, tsunami, landslides etc. Volcanic blasts can be so loud sometimes that it might be heard even from another continent. Many mountains of our world were formed as a result of the volcanic discharge. Let’s take a look at the list of the 6 most disastrous volcanic eruption that caused innumerous damage to life and property.
The Volcanic Eruption of Tambora (Indonesia): This calamitous eruption of the volcano in 1815 at Tambora is considered to be the worst volcanic eruption in recorded human history. This eruption caused the death of over 90,000 people. The repercussions of this volcanic eruption were borne not just by the people of Indonesia but the entire world. After the eruption of Tambora, the overall temperature of the entire world was reduced by over 0.5 degree centigrade. During that year, there was no summer in the whole of the northern hemisphere. Summerless year had an inverse impact on the yield of agricultural crops as they fell down significantly, causing famine in many areas. It was the largest eruption which was equivalent to over 750 megatons of tri nitro toulin (TNT). In simple words, this volcano catastrophe was so lethal that when compared to this volcanic blast of 750 megatons, atom bomb assault on Hiroshima that left Japan destroyed was merely around 1 megaton.
The Volcanic Eruption of Krakatoa (Indonesia): During the month of August in 1883 the massacre caused by the volcanic eruption of krakatoa in Indonesia is one of the most deleterious vicissitudes, Indonesia has ever faced. It left around 36,500 people dead. Krakatoa is an islet that falls in between Sumatra and Java. The eruption caused thermal damage followed by a strong Tsunami when the volcano crumbled into the water. The volcano was giving warnings since past couple of months in the form of deafening roars and gleaming cloud. But the local population instead of understanding the graveness of the situation started celebrating it as a good omen and cherished it by calling it nature’s firework. On August 27th, 1883 the volcanic explosion was so loud that it was heard in countries like Australia which is thousands of miles away from krakatoa.
The Volcanic Eruption of Mount Pelee (Martinique): Mount Pelee which constitutes largely of rocks, killed almost 30,000 people when it erupted on 8th of May, 1902. Since April, the volcano had started giving signs of upcoming disaster as slight quivering was felt in St. Pierre, along with smoke of sulphur clearly visible around the mountain top. Unfortunately, all this didn't garner much attention of the native people. The signs became much more evident when a small eruption took place at the beginning of May, after which the birds and fishes were found dead due to contamination and shockwaves. On the 8th of May, finally, the volcanic blast happened, making it one of the most disastrous volcanic eruptions ever. The only silver lining about this emission was the fact that many pieces of information about volcanoes and the nature of its eruptions were studied during this contretemps, which has helped in saving lives from such events in the future.
The Volcanic Eruption of Nevado Del Ruiz (Columbia): More than two dozen countries joined hands together to assist Nevado Del Ruiz to tackle the situation of November 13th 1985 volcanic eruptions. The tragic volcanic eruption which took place after the dusk, reduced the visibility, hampering the process of the rescue operation by the government. The flow of mud, made air transport as the only medium to extricate survivors from this Mishap. It was estimated that the loss of property accounted for over $200 million back in the year 1985. With around 24,000 people dead and around 2.1 million people directly or indirectly affected by the event, this was without any doubt one of the most lethal volcanic eruptions of all time.
The Volcanic Eruption of Mount Unzen (Japan): In 1792, Japan faced the worst volcanic eruption ever in her history. Mount Unzen that is positioned in the east of Nagasaki comprises of a cluster of composite volcanoes. It was not just the volcano that caused the devastation, but also the major earthquake that followed quickly after it, causing a gargantuan landslide. Unfortunately, the huge landslide further slipped and fell into the Ariake sea, causing a calamitous Tsunami. This chain reaction took the life of around 14,500 people. Two decades back, a slight eruption from mount Unzen created panic in Japan, due to the dense population of the area. But luckily no major catastrophe took place.
The Volcanic Eruption of Laki (Iceland): The inimical volcanic eruption of Laki, Iceland in the year 1783 continued for over 7 months. This discharge was so powerful that it killed almost all the cattle of Iceland due to its poisonous emission which contaminated the grasses, plants and other foods of Animals. The famine caused as a reaction of this eruption resulted into the death of thousands of humans too. The exact data regarding the number of lives lost during and the aftermath of this tragic calamity is not very clear, though it is estimated that lump sum 9,500 people lost their lives. The average temperature of the United States of America dropped down by around 5 degree centigrade and temperature of complete northern hemisphere came down by over 1 degree centigrade as a result of this volcanic destruction. The intensity of the emission was low but as a result of prolonged time span, it caused more damage to the atmosphere compared to the other larger eruptions.