In fact, volcanoes have shaped the appearance of the Earth over millions of years. Here are the most serious volcano-related disasters in human history.
№8 . Experts believe that the largest volcanic eruption that occurred at the dawn of mankind occurred in Sumatra: the volcano Toba erupted 71,000 years ago. Then about 2800 cubic meters were released into the atmosphere. km of ash, which could reduce the human population worldwide to just 10,000 people.
№7. Eruption El Chichon was not particularly large (5 on the VEI scale), with a maximum height of the eruptive column of 29 km. But there was a lot of sulfur in the cloud. In less than one month it surrounded the globe, but six months passed before it spread to 30° N. c, practically not spreading to the Southern Hemisphere. Samples collected by airplanes and balloons showed that the cloud particles were mostly tiny glass beads coated with sulfuric acid. Gradually sticking together, they settled faster on the ground, and after a year the mass of the remaining cloud was reduced to about an ounce from the original one. Absorption sunlight cloud particles warmed the equatorial stratosphere by 4° in June 1982, but at ground level in the Northern Hemisphere the temperature dropped by 0.4°.
№6. Lucky , a volcano in Iceland. Laki is a chain of more than 110-115 craters up to 818 m high, stretching for 25 km, centered on the Grimsvötn volcano and including the Eldgja Canyon and the Katla volcano. In 1783-1784, a powerful fissure eruption (6 on the eruption scale) occurred on Laki and the neighboring Grimsvotn volcano, releasing about 15 km³ of basaltic lava over 8 months. The length of the lava flow that erupted from a 25-kilometer fissure exceeded 130 km, and the area covered by it was 565 km². Clouds of toxic fluorine and sulfur dioxide compounds rose into the air, killing more than 50% of Iceland's livestock; Volcanic ash partially or completely covered pastures across most of the island. Huge masses of ice melted by lava led to large-scale floods. A famine began, resulting in the death of approximately 10 thousand people or 20% of the country's population. This eruption is considered one of the most destructive in the last millennium and the largest lava eruption in historical time. Fine ash erupted by the volcano was present in the second half of 1783 over most of Eurasia. The drop in temperature in the northern hemisphere caused by the eruption led to crop failure and famine in Europe in 1784.
№5. Eruption Vesuvius, perhaps the most famous eruption in the world. Vesuvius (Italian Vesuvio, Neap. Vesuvio) is an active volcano in southern Italy, about 15 km from Naples. Located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples in the province of Naples, Campania region. It is part of the Apennine mountain system and has an altitude of 1281 m.
The disaster killed 10,000 people and destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
№4 . In 1883 there was a catastrophic volcanic eruption Krakatoa, which destroyed most of the island of the same name.
The eruption began in May. Until the end of August, a significant amount of rock was removed by explosions, which led to the devastation of the “underground chamber” under Krakatoa. The last powerful explosion of the pre-climax stage occurred at dawn on August 27. The ash column reached a height of 30 km. On August 28, most of the island, under its own weight and the pressure of the water column, collapsed into the voids below sea level, dragging with it a huge mass of ocean water, the contact of which with magma caused a powerful hydromagmatic explosion.
A significant part of the volcanic structure scattered within a radius of up to 500 km. This range of expansion was ensured by the rise of magma and rocks into rarefied layers of the atmosphere, to a height of up to 55 km. The gas-ash column rose into the mesosphere to a height of over 70 km. Ash fall occurred in the eastern Indian Ocean over an area of over 4 million km². The volume of material ejected by the explosion was about 18 km³. The force of the explosion (6 points on the eruption scale), according to geologists, was no less than 200 thousand times greater than the force of the explosion that destroyed Hiroshima.
The roar of the explosion was clearly audible within a radius of 4 thousand km. On the coasts of Sumatra and Java, the noise level, according to scientists, reached 180 decibels or more.
A significant amount of volcanic ash remained in the atmosphere at altitudes of up to 80 km for several years and caused intense colors of the dawns.
The tsunami raised by the explosion up to 30 m high led to the death of about 36 thousand people on the neighboring islands, 295 cities and villages were washed into the sea. Many of them, before the tsunami approached, were probably destroyed by the air wave, which felled equatorial forests on the coast of the Sunda Strait and tore roofs off houses and doors off their hinges in Jakarta, 150 km from the disaster site. The atmosphere of the entire Earth was disturbed by the explosion for several days. The air wave circled the Earth, according to various sources, from 7 to 11 times.
№3 . For a long time, people believed the Colombian volcano Ruiz if not extinct, then at least dormant. They had reason for this: the last time this volcano erupted was in 1595, and then showed no signs of activity for almost five centuries.
The first signs of Ruiz's awakening became noticeable on November 12, 1985, when ash began to erupt from the crater. At 9 pm on November 13, several explosions occurred and a full-scale eruption began. The height of the column of smoke and rock fragments thrown out by explosions reached 8 meters. Due to the outpouring of lava and the release of hot gases, the temperature increased, as a result of which the snow and ice covering the volcano melted. Late in the evening, a mudflow reached the city of Armero, located 40 kilometers from the volcano, and virtually wiped it off the face of the earth. Several surrounding villages were also destroyed. Oil pipelines and power lines were damaged, bridges were destroyed. Due to downed telephone lines and washed out roads, communication with the affected area was interrupted.
According to official data from the Colombian government, about 23 thousand people died or went missing as a result of the eruption, and another 5 thousand were seriously injured or maimed. Tens of thousands of Colombians lost their homes and property. Coffee plantations were seriously damaged by the eruption: not only the coffee trees themselves were destroyed, but also a significant part of the already harvested crop. Colombia's economy suffered significant damage.
№2. Mont Pele . This eruption, which occurred in 1902 on the island of Martinique, became the strongest in the 20th century. Residents of the city of Saint-Pierre, located in Martinique, located only 8 kilometers from the Mont Pelee volcano, are accustomed to considering this mountain a peaceful neighbor. And, since the last eruption of this volcano, which occurred in 1851, was very weak, they did not pay special attention to the tremors and rumble that began at the end of April 1902. By May, the volcano’s activity intensified, and on May 8, one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century erupted.
At about 8 a.m., Mont Pele erupted. A cloud of ash and rocks was thrown into the air, and a stream of lava rushed towards the city. However, the most terrible thing was not the ash and lava, but the hot volcanic gases that swept through Saint-Pierre at great speed, causing fires. Desperate people tried to escape on the ships standing in the port, but only the steamer Roddan managed to go to sea. Unfortunately, almost all of its crew and passengers died due to burns, leaving only the captain and driver alive.
As a result of the volcanic eruption, the city of Saint-Pierre was almost completely destroyed, and all the people and animals in it died. The Mont Pele eruption killed more than 30 thousand people; Of the city residents, only the criminal who was in the underground prison was able to survive.
Currently, Saint-Pierre has been partially restored, and a museum of volcanology has been built at the foot of Mont Pelée.
№1 Tambora
The first signs of the awakening of the volcano became noticeable back in 1812, when the first streams of smoke appeared over the top of Tambora. Gradually the amount of smoke increased, it became denser and darker. On April 5, 1815, a strong explosion occurred and an eruption began. The noise produced by the volcano was so strong that it was heard even 1,400 kilometers from the scene. The tons of sand and volcanic dust thrown out by Tambora covered the entire area within a radius of one hundred kilometers with a thick layer. Residential buildings not only on the island of Sumbawa, but also on neighboring islands, collapsed under the weight of the ash. The ashes even reached the island of Borneo, located 750 kilometers from Tambora. The amount of smoke and dust in the air was so great that it was night within a radius of 500 kilometers from the volcano for three days. According to eyewitnesses, they did not see anything further than their own hand.
This terrible eruption, which lasted about 10 days, according to conservative estimates, claimed the lives of 50 thousand people. There are data according to which the death toll exceeded 90 thousand. Almost the entire population of Sumbawa was destroyed, and the inhabitants of the neighboring islands suffered severely both from the release of ash and huge stones, and from starvation resulting from the destruction of fields and livestock.
Due to the Tambora eruption, a huge amount of ash and dust accumulated in the Earth's atmosphere, and this had a significant impact on the climate of the entire planet. The year 1816 went down in history as the “year without summer.” Unusually cold temperatures have caused crop failures and famines on the east coast of North America and Europe this year. In some countries, snow remained for most of the summer, and in New York and the northeastern part of the United States, the thickness of the snow cover reached a meter. The effect of this volcanic winter gives an idea of one of the consequences of a possible atomic war - nuclear winter.
Volcanic eruptions
Scientists believe that at the second stage of the formation of the earth's crust, the surface of our planet was completely covered with volcanoes. But those volcanoes that can be seen now are not related to this distant period. They were formed not so long ago, in the Quaternary period, that is, at the last stage of geological history, which continues to this day.
According to the definition, a volcano (from the Latin vulcanus - fire, flame) is a geological formation that arises above channels and cracks in the earth's crust, along which, during a volcanic eruption, hot lava, ash, hot gases, water vapor and rock fragments rise to the earth's surface . Today, scientists have not reached a consensus on the structure of the mechanism that causes volcanoes to erupt, the nature of underground energy, as well as other problems related to volcanic activity. Much here remains unclear; apparently, a lot of time will pass before a person can say that he knows everything about the driving forces of volcanic eruptions.
A modern view of what constitutes life cycle volcanoes, that's it. In the very depths of the earth's bowels, huge layers of overlying rocks press on the hot rocks. According to physical laws, the stronger the pressure, the higher the boiling point of the substance, therefore magma located far from the earth's surface remains in a solid state.
However, if you release the pressure on it, it will become fluid. In places where the earth's crust stretches or contracts, the pressure exerted by the rocks on the magma drops, and a zone of partial melting forms. There are also such zones in hot spots, which are discussed in more detail below. Semi-molten rock, which has a lower density compared to the surrounding solid matter, begins to rise to the surface, forming giant drops - diapirs. The diapira slowly rises, while the pressure on it decreases, and, as a result, more and more substance in the giant drop turns into a molten state. Having risen to a certain depth, the diapir becomes a magma chamber, or in other words, a source of magma, serving as a direct source of volcanic activity. The molten rock may not erupt immediately but remain within the earth's crust. It will cool, and the process of separating the magmatic substance into layers will occur: denser substances will harden first and settle to the bottom of the chamber. The process will continue and top part The reservoir will be occupied by light minerals and dissolved gases. All this will be in an equilibrium state for some time. As gases separate from the molten substance, the pressure in the magma chamber will increase. At a certain point, it may go beyond the strength of the overlying rocks, then the magma will be able to make its way and reach the surface. This release will be accompanied by an eruption. Sometimes water can enter the fireplace, creating a huge amount of water vapor and inevitably causing a powerful volcanic explosion. If a new portion of magma unexpectedly enters the chamber, mixing of the established layers will occur and a rapid process of release of light components will occur, which will cause a sharp increase in intra-chamber pressure. An eruption can be a consequence of tectonic processes, such as an earthquake, because in this case cracks can form that reveal a source of magma, the pressure inside it immediately drops, and the contents of the chamber rush upward.
The source of magma is connected to the Earth's surface by a channel. Processes take place in it similar to what happens when we open a bottle of champagne. Everyone probably knows how this happens: gas comes out of the bottle under high pressure, knocks out the cap, a pop is heard, and jets of carbonated drink fly to the ceiling. But magma is a denser substance than champagne, with high viscosity, so the gases not only make it foam, but also tear it apart, throwing it out in shreds.
The lava that has flowed to the surface, solidifies, forms a cone-shaped mountain, which is also composed of rock fragments and ash. However, volcanic mountains do not grow indefinitely. Along with the process of elevation, a phenomenon is observed from time to time that destroys the top of the volcano, the collapse of the cone occurs and the formation of a caldera - a cauldron-shaped depression with round slopes and a flat bottom. Caldera is a Spanish word that literally means “big cauldron.” The mechanism for the formation of a caldera is as follows: when a volcano releases everything from the magma reservoir located directly below the summit, it becomes empty, and the walls of the crater lose internal support, then they collapse and a giant pit is formed. Calderas can be truly enormous in size, for example the entire Yellowstone National Park is a caldera. It happens that the caldera is filled with water and a large crater lake is formed. An example is Crater Lake in Oregon, which is the caldera of a volcano that erupted about 7 thousand years ago. Quite often it happens that a dome begins to grow inside the caldera again, which means that the volcano begins a new cycle of active life.
This is how Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences E. Markhinin describes his feelings from meeting face to face with an active volcano: “I approach the edge of the crater and stop, enchanted: from the bottom of the gloomy basin, through the vapors of the fumaroles, red-hot pieces of slag fly out with a crash and roar. ... We see at the bottom of the crater two black, like piles of coal, cinder cones several tens of meters high. In the center of the cone there are small round fiery yellow holes, from which jets of hot slag and volcanic bombs constantly burst out... Many bombs fly to a height of more than three hundred meters.
Explosions shake the body of the volcano... In complete darkness, a long fiery streak glows in the eastern part of the huge crater. This is a lava flow... We can freely and for a long time look into the very mouth of the erupting craters, which few others are lucky enough to do.”
Scientists have identified several various types volcanic eruptions:
1. Plinian type - lava is viscous, with a high content of gases, it is difficult to squeeze out of the crater. At the same time, the gas accumulates and explodes - huge masses of ash and volcanic bombs fly up to a height of many kilometers, so a giant black column of ash and gases, called a Plinian column, appears at the top. The eruption of Vesuvius is a typical example of this type of natural disaster.
2. Peleian type - lava is very viscous. It practically clogs the vent, blocking the path upward for volcanic gases. Mixed with hot ash, they find their way to freedom elsewhere, making a hole in the mountainside. It is this type of eruption that generates terrible scorching clouds consisting of hot gas and ash. The best example of this type of eruption is the Mont Pele volcano.
3. Icelandic type - eruptions occur through fissures. Liquid lava flows in small fountains, flows quickly, and can flood large areas. An example is the eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland in 1783.
4. Hawaiian type - liquid lava flows pour out only from the central vent, so these volcanoes have very gentle slopes. The volcanoes of the Hawaiian Islands belong to this type. In particular, the fire-breathing mountain Mauna Loa.
5. Strombolian type - the eruption is accompanied by fireworks of volcanic bombs, a blinding glow and a deafening roar during explosions. The lava emitted by these types of volcanoes has a more viscous consistency. A striking example is the Stromboli volcano in Italy.
6. Bandai type - This is a purely gas eruption. Strong explosions throw rock fragments, pieces of old solidified lava, and ash onto the surface. This is how the Japanese volcano Bandai erupts.
Since ancient times, various peoples have had legends about amazing mountains spewing fire. The first information about volcanoes that has reached us dates back to the middle of the first millennium BC. A person who, at least once in his life, witnessed this, without exaggeration, grandiose natural phenomenon, giving rise in the soul to a mixture of chilling horror from the destructive power and admiration from the dazzling beauty of the spectacle, would never be able to forget what he saw, and his story about it would undoubtedly be passed on by word of mouth. Many generations carefully preserved the memories of these terrible catastrophic events. And now volcanoes, the eruptions of which remain in the memory of mankind, are conventionally called active. The rest are considered extinct or asleep, although rather the second is more accurate, because the sleeper can wake up, and this is what happens with volcanoes not so rarely. Considered long ago extinct, they suddenly turn into active ones, an eruption occurs, the power of which is directly proportional to the duration of the deep sleep stage. These volcanoes cause the largest, most tragic disasters. Here are a few such examples. The Bandai-san volcano (Japan), awakening in 1888, destroyed 11 villages. Volcano Leamington (New Guinea) claimed 5 thousand in 1951 human lives. It is believed that the most powerful eruption of the 20th century was the explosion of the Bezymyanny volcano (Kamchatka), which was also considered extinct.
On land, volcanoes are located in strictly defined areas, which are characterized by high tectonic mobility, that is, changes in the shape and volume of rocks are possible. These zones often experience earthquakes of varying strength, sometimes with terrible destructive consequences.
The largest tectonically active zone is the Pacific Fire Belt, with 526 volcanoes. Some of them are dormant, but 328 volcanoes erupt historical fact. Volcanoes also belong to this ring. Kuril Islands, Kamchatka, there are 168 of them. Among them we can highlight the largest and most dangerous, constantly reminding of themselves, active volcanoes Klyuchevskoy, Ksudach, Shiveluch, Narymskoy and, finally, the already mentioned Bezymyanny.
Another vast volcanically active area is a ring that includes the Mediterranean, the Iranian Plateau, Indonesia, the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. There are especially many volcanoes in the Indonesian Sunda archipelago - 63, and 37 of them are considered active. The Mediterranean volcanoes Vesuvius, Etna, and Santorino are notorious throughout the world. While they are “sleeping”, but at any moment they can remind of their existence, the Caucasian five-thousanders Elbrus and Kazbek, the Iranian beauty Damavand. Not far from them, it “sleeps” under a huge thickness of ice and fluffy snow Transcaucasian Ararat.
The third largest volcanic zone is a narrow strip stretching along the Atlantic Ocean, including 69 volcanoes. Eruptions of 39 of them are documented. 70 percent of the active volcanoes in this zone are located along the mid-ocean ridge line in Iceland. These are active, frequently erupting volcanoes.
The smallest volcanically active zone occupies an area of East Africa. It has 40 volcanoes, 16 of which are active. The height of the largest volcano in this area is about six thousand meters, the famous Mount Kilimanjaro.
Outside these zones, there are almost no volcanoes on the continents, but the ocean floor of all four oceans is filled with a huge number of volcanic formations. Although it should be noted that underwater ones have a significant difference from land ones - they have a flat top and are called guyots. Apparently, they also once had a cone-shaped shape, but the waves of the oceans, eroding, destroyed the part protruding above the surface. The resulting flat-surface volcanoes later sank to the ocean floor. The Pacific Ocean is especially “rich” in guillotines.
Vesuvius
For the first time in the history of mankind, a detailed description of a grandiose natural disaster caused by a powerful volcanic eruption was given by the Roman scientist Pliny the Younger. Of course, having written to the Roman historian Tacitus about the death of his uncle, the famous scientist and naval commander Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger could not imagine that in this way he would tell the whole world about the tragic events associated with the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which many subsequent generations would read with inexhaustible interest lines telling about the terrible death of the once prosperous Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. The Romans knew that Vesuvius was a volcano. This mountain at that time had a regular cone shape, on its flat top there was a crater overgrown with grass, but no mention of its eruptions was preserved, and the Romans believed that the volcano had fallen asleep forever. The terrible eruption could have had less tragic consequences if people had paid attention to the warning given to them by nature itself: in 69 AD, an earthquake occurred in the vicinity of Vesuvius, destroying part of Pompeii. But the inhabitants of Pompeii did not feel the danger and rebuilt their city.
16 years later, in 79 AD, they apparently regretted it bitterly. And yet, most of the people managed to avoid death; they all left the city as soon as the first signs of the impending disaster appeared. Thanks to the writing talent and love for scientific accuracy of the young man Pliny the Younger, one can vividly imagine what happened on August 24, 79 AD. The work of this boy became the first document of volcanology, modern science about the causes of the formation of volcanoes, their development, structure, composition of eruption products and patterns of location on the Earth's surface. “On August 24, at about one o’clock in the afternoon, in the direction of Vesuvius,” wrote Pliny, “a cloud of extraordinary size appeared... in its shape it resembled a tree, specifically a pine tree, for it evenly stretched upward with a very high trunk and then expanded into several branches... After some time, it fell to the ground a rain of ash and pieces of pumice, burnt and cracked by the heat, began to fall; the sea became very shallow. Meanwhile, wide tongues of flame burst out from Vesuvius in some places, and a huge column of fire rose, the brilliance and brightness of which increased due to the surrounding darkness.” All this was accompanied by underground tremors, the strength of which was increasing, and the number of pieces of pumice erupted by Vesuvius also increased; the amount of hot ash that fell was such that the ash cloud completely obscured the sun and the day turned into night.
There was pitch darkness, similar, according to Pliny, to “the darkness that comes in a room when the light is turned off.” In Stabiae, ash and pieces of pumice almost completely covered the courtyards of houses. Even a few kilometers from Vesuvius, people were forced to constantly shake off the ash, otherwise they would die, covered with ash or even crushed by it. Pliny reported: “All objects were covered with ash, like snow.” In Pompeii, the fallen layer was about three meters thick, that is, the entire city was completely littered with volcanic sediments. As already mentioned, the majority escaped, but about 2 thousand people remained entombed, perhaps even buried alive, in a huge mass grave the size of an entire city. The causes of death of these people could be very different: someone hesitated and could not get out of a buried house or cellar, someone suffocated from acrid smoke, or perhaps due to a lack of oxygen in the air. The volcanic ash, having hardened, preserved the skeletons, and more often the casts of the bodies and clothes of these people, home furnishings and utensils. Thus, this terrible event gave our scientists invaluable material and helped them study in detail the culture, life and customs of that distant era, inaccessible to us. Ashes and pieces of pumice had time to cool, flying to the ground enough long distances, so there were almost no fires in the city. It turned out that during the eruption of Vesuvius, so much liquid magma was ejected from it that the top of the mountain disappeared, falling into the resulting void, and the resulting huge hole - a crater - was about three kilometers wide. This once again demonstrates the colossal power of this well-known volcanic disaster. Three years later, Vesuvius woke up again, but this time he behaved less menacingly. All subsequent years, he also continued to act actively, constantly reminding of his existence.
And in 1794, a new, very strong eruption occurred. Its eyewitness was twenty-year-old Christian Leopold von Buch, who later became a famous German geologist, in particular, the author of important works on volcanology. Apparently, this event left an indelible mark on his soul and influenced his subsequent choice. This is how he describes what happened: “On the night of June 12, a terrible earthquake occurred, and then from morning to evening throughout the Campania the earth shook like sea waves... Three days later a terrible underground blow was heard... Suddenly the sky lit up with red flames and luminous vapors . A crack appeared at the foot of the cone of Vesuvius... a dull but strong noise was heard from the mountain, like the roar of a waterfall falling into an abyss. The mountain shook without ceasing, and after a quarter of an hour the earthquake intensified... People did not feel solid ground beneath them, the air was completely engulfed in flames, and terrible, never-heard sounds came from all sides. The people, struck by horror, rushed to the church... But nature did not listen to the pleas; New lava flows appeared in the volcano. Smoke, flames and vapors rose above the clouds and spread in all directions in the form of a huge pine tree. After midnight the continuous noise ceased; the earth stopped shaking and the mountain stopped shaking; lava poured out of the crater at short intervals... explosions followed less and less often, but their strength doubled... After midnight, on the other side of the volcano, the sky suddenly lit up with a bright light. The lava, which had wreaked havoc on the southern side of the mountain, now rushed along the northern slopes into a wide gorge.
In the vicinity of Naples, lava quickly rushed along the slopes in a wide river. Residents of the towns of Rezina, Portici, Torre del Greco and others watched in horror every movement of the fiery river, which threatened one village or another... Suddenly lava rushed towards Rezina and Portici. In Torre del Greco the entire population rushed to the church, thanking God for salvation; in a fit of joy, they forgot about the inevitable death that awaited their neighbors. But the lava met a deep ditch on its way and changed direction again, rushing towards the unfortunate Torre del Greco, who considered himself already saved. A stream of fire now swept through the steep slopes and, without splitting into branches, in the form of a river two thousand feet wide, it reached a flourishing city. The entire population of eighteen thousand rushed to the sea, seeking salvation there. From the shore one could see columns of black smoke and huge tongues of fire rising above the roofs of lava-filled houses, like lightning. Palaces and churches fell noisily, and the mountain thundered terribly. A few hours later, not a trace remained of the city, and almost all the inhabitants died in a stream of fire. Even the sea was powerless to stop the lava; the lower parts of the lava flows solidified in water, and the upper parts flowed over them. At a great distance, the water was boiling in the sea, and fish boiled in the water floated in large heaps on the surface of the water.
The next day came. The fire no longer burst out of the crater, but the mountain was still not visible. A thick black cloud lay above her and spread a gloomy cover over the bay and over the sea. Ashes fell in and around Naples; it covered the grass and trees, houses and streets. The sun was devoid of shine and light, and the day resembled the twilight of dawn. Only in the west was a light streak visible, but the darkness that enveloped the city seemed even darker... Little by little, the eruption stopped. The lava began to harden and cracked in many places; vapors rose rapidly, saturated table salt; along the edges of the cracks a brightly glowing flame could be seen in places. A continuous noise was heard, reminiscent of distant thunder, and lightning, cutting through the black clouds of rain falling from the volcano, broke the darkness of the night. By their light it was clear that these huge masses were bursting out of a large crater on the top of the mountain. They rose in a thick black cloud and blurred at altitude. Heavy fragments of stones fell back into the crater. The first cloud was followed by a second and a third, and so on; The mountain seemed to us to be covered with a crown of clouds, arranged in some peculiar order.”
Finally, the ash rain turned from gray to white, and it became clear that the terrible eruption was ending. And so, 10 days later, Vesuvius fell silent, although ashes showered the city for several more days.
Santorini
The legendary Santorini volcano, whose grandiose eruption occurred in 1470 BC, is located in the Aegean Sea, north of the island of Crete. It is with him that some prominent scientists associate the famous myth of the death of Atlantis. That's why detailed story about this eruption, unique in its destructive power, is included in the chapter devoted to the question of the existence ancient civilization Atlanteans.
Dobrach
The eruption of Mount Dobrach, located near the city of Belyaka in Bulgaria, can be considered completely unpredictable. No one, not even volcanologists, could imagine that such a catastrophe was possible in these parts, because nothing like this had ever happened before. However, in January 1348, Mount Dobrach suddenly turned into a fire-breathing volcano and a strong eruption occurred. Victims of a natural environment unique to these places natural disaster became 11 thousand people, residents of 17 nearby settlements. By the way, the raging fire element completely destroyed all 17 settlements, leaving only gray dead ashes in their place.
Lucky
It’s not without reason that Iceland is called the land of volcanoes, because here there are relatively small area There are 40 fire-breathing mountains.
In 1783, the Icelandic volcano Laki erupted, which has an original crater shape - in fact, it is a whole line of volcanic vents about 25 kilometers long. Volcanoes with a similar structure usually pour out very large amounts of lava during eruptions. This time Lucky released a truly colossal portion of molten material; it is believed that it was the most lava-rich volcanic eruption in the world. It did not begin suddenly; underground tremors and emissions of gas jets warned of its approach. And then on June 8, steam poured out of the fissure vent and ash fell. A few days later the lava process began. The first lava flows poured out from the southwestern end of the crater fissure, and by the end of the month lava began to flow from the northeastern side of the giant fissure. The lava flow advanced into the valley of the Skaftar River with a thirty-meter wall; it managed to move forward 60 kilometers. The width of the front of the spread of the fire mass along the flat coast was 15 kilometers. There was so much lava that it completely flooded this valley; the thickness of the layer of volcanic material reached 180 meters. The lava flow deepened 50 kilometers into the next valley, Hverliefljot. This eruption lasted for six months, during which time Lucky released about 12 cubic kilometers of magma, the hot flows of which destroyed 13 farms and flooded an area of 560 square kilometers. Lava has a low spreading speed; a physically healthy person can run away from the fiery danger. There were few deaths directly during the eruption itself. But the longer-term consequences of this disaster were truly terrible. Hot lava flows melted glaciers, rivers, which had already changed their path due to changes in the terrain by magmatic secretions, also overflowed widely, and the flood covered huge areas of agricultural land. Ashes, which fell in sufficiently large quantities, fell on fertile soils and destroyed all vegetation. Cloudy clots of poisonous gases filled the air; only a quarter of domestic animals survived under these conditions. Iceland in the 18th century was isolated from the rest of the world, and food aid was not provided to the population from outside. A monstrous tragedy awaited the country: a fifth of its population, that is, about 10 thousand people, died out. The death toll was so high because disaster, as they say, does not come alone: an unusually harsh winter was added to the terrible famine.
Tambor
In 1812, the Indonesian volcano Tambor, located on the island of Sumbawu, woke up from its sleep, gas emissions reported this, and over time they thickened and darkened. But before the volcano began to actively operate, no less than three years passed. And then on April 5, 1815, a deafening explosion was heard, the roar of which was heard almost one and a half thousand kilometers away, while the blue sky was covered with huge black clouds, an ashy shower poured onto Sumbawa and the surrounding islands: Lombok, Bali, Madura, Java. From April 10 to April 12, strong explosions were repeated several more times, powerful jets of volcanic emissions again flew into the air: dust, ash, sand - their small particles clouded the sky, blocking the path sun rays. A vast area inhabited by millions of people was plunged into impenetrable darkness. On the island of Lombok, all vegetation was destroyed, the greenery of gardens and fields disappeared, and its place on the island was taken by a sixty-meter layer of ash. The force of the eruption was colossal - the volcano threw five-kilogram stones over a forty-kilometer distance. Tambor was a four-thousander, after the eruption its height decreased by 1150 meters, as 100 cubic kilometers of rocks were crushed and thrown into the air by the volcano. A giant caldera 700 meters deep and approximately 6 kilometers in diameter was formed. This terrible disaster killed 92 thousand people.
Krakatoa
In the second half of the 19th century, one of the world's most monumental catastrophes occurred - the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. The part of Mount Krakatoa that rose above the water was the most large island in the archipelago, the dimensions of this landmass were 9 by 5 kilometers. It had three craters connected to each other: the southern one - Rakata, about 800 meters, the northern one - Perbuatan, about 120 meters and the central one - Danan, about 450 meters. There were several other small islands nearby, among them Lang and Verleuthen. All these islands were parts of a two-thousand-year-old volcano, the destruction of which occurred in that ancient time when man could not yet record the events that took place, that is, in prehistoric times. These islands were not inhabited. But, although not so often, commercial and military ships passed near them, and sometimes fishermen from Sumatra visited these places. Due to the uninhabitation of this area, the exact time of Krakatoa's activation is unknown.
However, the testimony of the sailors of the German ship “Elizabeth” has been preserved: on May 20, sailing through the Sunda Strait, they saw a huge cloud rise above the Krakatoa crater, shaped like a mushroom and almost 11 kilometers high. In addition, the ship was caught in an ashfall, despite the fact that it was quite far from the volcano. The same observations were made by crew members of other ships passing Krakatoa over the next few days. Periodically, the volcano exploded, causing ground vibrations to be felt in Batavia, today renamed Jakarta.
On May 27, residents of Jakarta noted that Krakatoa was especially violent - every 5-10 minutes a menacing rumble was heard from the central crater, smoke billowed in a column, ash and pieces of pumice fell.
The first half of June was relatively calm. But then the volcano’s activity increased sharply again, and on June 24, the ancient rocks bordering the central crater disappeared, while the crater pit increased significantly. The process continued to grow. On August 11, all three main craters and a large number of small ones were already active, all of them ejecting volcanic gases and ash.
The morning of August 26 was wonderful, but by lunchtime a strange annoying noise suddenly appeared. This monotonous, incessant hum did not allow the inhabitants of Batavia to sleep. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Medea ship was sailing through the Sunda Strait, from its side it was visible how ash streams shot up into the sky, their height is believed to have reached 33 kilometers. At 5 pm, the first tsunami wave was recorded - the result of the collapse of the crater wall. That same evening, the villages located on the island of Sumatra were lightly dusted with ash. And the residents of Angers and other coastal villages of Java found themselves in pitch darkness, it was almost impossible to see anything, and an unusually strong sound of waves could be heard from the sea - these were huge seething waves of water falling onto the shore, wiping out villages from the face of the Earth, throwing them onto the devastated coastal strip small ships.
The volcano came into force: from its mouth, along with gas jets and ash, massive stone boulders rapidly flew out, like small pebbles. The ash fall was so abundant that by two o’clock in the morning the deck of the ship “Berbis” was covered with a meter-long layer of volcanic ash. Flashes of lightning and deafening peals of thunder accompanied this grandiose eruption. Eyewitnesses said that the air was so highly electrified that touching metal objects could cause a strong electric shock.
By morning the sky cleared, but not for long. Darkness soon engulfed the area again as the untimely pitch black night lasted for 18 hours. A full range of products of volcanic activity: pumice, slag, ash, and thick mud - began an attack on the islands of Java and Sumatra. And at 6 o’clock in the morning the low-lying coastal zones were again attacked by powerful waves.
At 10 o'clock in the morning on August 27, the most powerful explosion of Krakatoa occurred; it had (without exaggeration) colossal force. Huge masses of clastic rocks, ash, as well as powerful jets of gas and steam were thrown to a height of 70-80 kilometers. All this was spread over an area of one million square kilometers. Some scientists believe that the smallest particles of ash scattered across the globe. The consequence of this terrible explosion was giant waves; the height of these destructive, deadly walls of water reached thirty meters. Having fallen with all their monstrous power on the inhabited islands, they swept away everything in their path: roads, forests, villages, and cities. The water element turned the cities of Angers, Bentham, and Merak into ruins. The islands of Sebesi and Serami suffered the most from the disaster; almost their entire population was washed away by the surging water. Only a few were returned alive by the sea. But it cannot be said that this was the end of their misadventures; they had a long and difficult struggle with the rampant natural elements for their lives. Darkness descended to the ground again. At 10:45 a.m. a new monstrous explosion sounded; fortunately, this time the sea did not support it with its terrible waves. At 16:35, people heard a new roar, the volcano reminded people that its violent activity was not yet completed. The ashfall continued until the morning, more and more explosions sounded, and a stormy wind howled, causing the sea surface to ripple. As the sun rose, the sky cleared and volcanic activity subsided.
However, the volcano continued to operate until February 20, 1884, it was on this day that the last explosion occurred, completing this monstrous disaster in its scale, which claimed the lives of 40 thousand people. Most of these people died in the waves of a giant tsunami. The largest wave generated by this explosion traveled almost the entire World Ocean; it was recorded in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific and the Atlantic. The shock wave generated during the colossal explosion, even at a distance of 150 kilometers from the epicenter, was so powerful that on the island of Java windows were broken, doors were ripped off their hinges, and even pieces of plaster fell. The roar of the explosion was heard even in Madagascar, that is, at a distance of almost 4,800 kilometers from the volcano itself. No eruption has ever been accompanied by such a powerful sound effect.
This is amazing, but after this eruption, the coasts of the islands of Sumatra and Java were completely transformed: the once most picturesque areas, favorite vacation spots for tourists all over the world, now presented a sad picture - bare land, covered with gray mud, ash, pieces of pumice, fragments of buildings, and uprooted tree trunks , bodies of drowned animals and people.
The island of Krakatoa itself, whose area was 45 square kilometers, disappeared, now only half of the ancient volcanic cone rose above the surface of the sea. The eruption of Krakatoa provoked the occurrence of atmospheric disasters - terrible hurricanes raged in the vicinity of Krakatoa. It was also recorded by barometric instruments that the air wave generated by the eruption circled the globe three times.
Another amazing phenomenon was a consequence of this enormous eruption, it was observed in Ceylon, Mauritius, the west coast of Africa, Brazil, Central America and some other places. It was noticed that the sun had acquired a strange greenish tint. This amazing color was given to the solar disk by the presence of very small particles of volcanic ash in the upper layers of the atmosphere. Other very interesting phenomena were also noted: the dust sediments that covered the ground in Europe were of volcanic origin and their chemical composition coincided with the dust emissions of Krakatoa.
The eruption dramatically changed the topography of the seabed. Products of volcanic activity formed an island with an area of 5 square kilometers on the site of Krakatoa; the island of Verleiten increased due to the same volcanic eruptions by 8 square kilometers. One of the islands simply disappeared, replaced by two new ones, which later also disappeared under water. The surface of the sea was cluttered with floating pumice islands; only very large ships were able to break through the jams they created.
Although Krakatoa calmed down, he did not fall asleep. A column of smoke is still rising from its crater. Its new volcanic cone, Anak Krakatau, which is now weakly erupting, began to grow in late 1927.
Mont Pele
Among the Lesser Antilles, located in the Caribbean Sea, there is the island of Martinique. Among other things, it is notable for the fact that in its northern part there is the world-famous Mont Pele volcano. Information about its first eruptions dates back to 1635. Over the next centuries, its volcanic activity was sluggish. After 50 years of almost absolute peace, at the beginning of the 20th century, a new eruption of Mont Pele occurred, which unexpectedly turned out to be destructive not only for the local flora and fauna, but also caused the painful death of tens of thousands of people. A detailed description of this disaster was compiled by the famous geologist Academician A.P. Pavlov.
And it all started, as it seemed, harmlessly. Numerous hot springs have opened on the slopes of Mont Pelée. Then the residents of the town of Saint-Pierre, only six kilometers away from the volcano, felt an underground disturbance, and the natural silence was broken by a monotonous unpleasant noise. The local population, showing curiosity, went to the top of the mountain, they saw that the water in the crater lake had boiled. The volcano was actively working: in the darkness of the night, bright flashes were visible above the top, and noise was heard from inside, which became increasingly louder. Ashfall also intensified. On May 17, ash covered the entire western slope; animals and birds, left without food, died, their corpses could be found everywhere.
On May 18, a new disaster came: a hot mud stream rushed along the bed of the Belaya River, it rushed at great speed and instantly destroyed a sugar factory located on the seashore. Here is a terrible story from an eyewitness to the tragedy: “At 10 minutes past twelve I hear screams. Sounding the alarm. People run past my house and shout in horror: “The mountain is coming!” And I hear a noise that cannot be compared with anything, a terrible noise, well, just the devil on earth... and I go out, look at the mountain... Above the white steam clouds, a black avalanche descends from the mountain with a crash, more than 10 meters high and 150 meters wide... Everything was broken, drowned... My son, his wife, 30 people, a large building - everything was carried away by the avalanche. They are approaching with a furious onslaught, these black waves, they are approaching like a mountain, and the sea recedes before them.”
On May 21, the volcano seemed to have calmed down, but a giant column of light gray smoke continued to stand at the top of the volcano. At first it was light and clear, but gradually the ash rain became stronger. The ash column at the top turned into a silvery fan-shaped cloud of enormous size. Soon dusk came - clouds of dark smoke enveloped the city. Residents of Saint-Pierre were forced to use artificial lighting. The ground shook and a rumble was heard from underground. At 7:50 a.m. there was a deafening explosion, followed by several less powerful impacts. A huge mass of volcanic emissions divided: smaller ash and gases rose up, larger and heavier particles formed a monstrous black cloud, inside of which fiery zigzags of lightning flashed. This eerie formation rolled down the slope straight towards Saint-Pierre. It took him only three minutes to reach the city. Outside observers claimed that “the city was instantly consumed by fire.” The edge of a scorching cloud touched several crews climbing the hill. Those who were closer to the fiery formation simply disappeared without a trace, while those who were further away managed to survive, although they received serious burns and were shell-shocked. The scorching cloud that appeared so suddenly, suddenly “having done its dirty deed,” melted right before our eyes. The darkness receded, and witnesses to the tragedy saw that Saint-Pierre had been turned into a huge dead ashes, on which tongues of flame could be seen here and there, greedily devouring what could survive.
Of the 18 ships anchored in the harbor, 17 were destroyed. Only the steamer Roddan was able to leave the bay. The ship's captain, Freeman, later said that at about 8 o'clock in the morning he was in his cabin. The ship's passengers stood on the deck and watched as the volcano released thick clouds of smoke and beams of light into the sky. Suddenly there was a terrible roar, a strong wind came, driving across the sea big waves, the ship began to rock. The captain rushed onto the deck, and then a hot wave covered the ship, its temperature reaching 700 degrees. Freeman compared the incident to a ship being hit by a huge hammer. Lava rain began to fall from the scorching cloud. The heat was terrible, it became completely impossible to breathe, the air seemed to be burning everything inside. Many, seeking salvation at sea, threw themselves overboard. Others, suffocating in the cabins, decided that on deck they would be able to get a portion of fresh air, but death awaited them there, the air was hot. Captain trying to find a way out difficult situation, decided to give full speed back, and then the “Roddan” crashed into the flaming steamer “Roraima”. The last thing the captain saw from the Roddana leaving the port was the burning streets of the city of Saint-Pierre and people rushing in their death throes among the buildings engulfed in fire. Freeman managed to bring the ship to the pier of Santa Lucia Island. The deck of the ship was covered with a six-centimeter layer of ash, half of the people on the ship died. The bodies of the surviving passengers and crew were covered in terrible burns. Unfortunately, almost all of these people died from severe wounds, not having lived even two days; only the captain and the driver won the fight against death.
Here is another terrible evidence of what happened. A passenger on the steamer Roraima, who encountered it when leaving the Roddan harbor, G. Thompson was one of the lucky ones who managed to survive in this fiery hell. He reported that there were 68 people on the Roraima. Most of them went on deck to see what was happening at the top of the volcano. Of course, it was a fascinating, incomparable spectacle; not everyone manages to become an eyewitness to such a grandiose natural phenomenon in their life. One of the passengers decided to capture the eruption on film. Suddenly, an eerie sound, like the roar of thousands of large cannons firing simultaneously, cut through the air. The sky was lit up by a powerful flash of fire, Captain Mygg ordered to urgently weigh anchor. But he was too late, a monstrous fiery cloud had already reached the bay and was breathing onto the ship with its scorching, scorching heat. Thompson ran to the cabin, the ship was thrown from side to side, masts were collapsing, pipes were falling as if cut. Fiery ash and hot lava filled the eyes, mouths, and ears of everyone who remained on the deck. People became blind due to the instant pitch darkness that fell and became deaf from the roar. They were dying from suffocating heat, it was impossible to help them, it was a painful, painful death. At least someone managed to survive only because the fire whirlwind lasted only a few minutes. However, its consequences were terrible: the bodies of burned people covered the deck, a fire broke out in several places on the ship, the wounded, unable to endure the hellish pain, screamed, calling for help. Flames engulfed the ship, killing most of those on board. Only a few people miraculously survived; almost seven hours after the disaster, which occurred at about 8 a.m., these people were picked up by the steamer Suchet, which arrived from Fort-de-France.
Two more days passed before it was possible to get into the city. This is what people saw when they came to the bay: the water surface was covered with the wreckage of the pier and ships, as well as the charred corpses of the dead. The steamer Roraima was still burning. The beautiful city of Saint-Pierre no longer existed; the lush vegetation that surrounded it, pleasing to the eye, disappeared without a trace. A gray, lifeless desert appeared before people's eyes. Ash covered everything, only here and there could be seen charred tree trunks, as well as black ruins of houses, lightly dusted with the same silvery ash dust. The strange, more winter-like landscape was complemented by clouds of dense white steam rising above the top of the now gray mountain. Attempts to get into the city center were unsuccessful - the ash that covered the ground was so hot that it was impossible to walk on it. The northern part of Saint-Pierre suffered less damage, so to speak, because the entire city was destroyed. Here the trees and wooden parts of buildings were not burned so badly, and the glass did not melt. Apparently, the fiery avalanche passed here in passing. In the central and southern parts of the city, everything burned down, the trees turned into black brands, the glass melted, the bodies of people were charred, it was impossible to identify them. Of the 30 thousand inhabitants of Saint-Pierre, only two survived. The first was a prisoner, kept in a nearly airtight death cell at a local prison. His body was severely burned. Before he was found, he spent three days without food or water. The second chosen one of fate was the shoemaker, who was in his own house during the disaster. He owes his life to a light breeze that suddenly breathed freshness towards him at the most terrible moment. Everyone who was next to him died in agony. Here is his short, terrifying story: “I felt a terrible wind... My arms and legs were burning... The four people nearby were screaming and writhing in pain. After 10 seconds, the girl fell dead... The father was dead: his body became red and swollen... Distraught, I waited for death... An hour later the roof was burning... I came to my senses and ran.”
However, the volcano did not calm down and continued to be active. And more than once terrible scorching clouds formed over Mont Pele. So, June 2, 1902 over the ruins dead city a fiery hurricane swept through again, more powerful than the first.
Twenty days later, another strong eruption occurred and the volcano generated another hot vortex. The English scientist Anderson described this amazing phenomenon as follows: “Suddenly our attention was attracted by a black cloud that appeared above the crater... It did not rise up, but stayed for some time on the edge of the crater near the crevice and retained its shape for a long time... We looked at it for a while and, finally, noticed that the cloud does not stand still, but rolls down the mountainside, gradually increasing in volume. The further it rolled, the faster its movement became... There was no doubt that this was an ash cloud, and it was coming straight towards us. A cloud descended the mountainside. It became immeasurably larger, but still had a rounded shape with a swollen surface. It was black as pitch, and streaks of lightning flashed through it. The cloud reached the northern edge of the bay, and in its lower part, where the black mass came into contact with the water, a strip of continuously flashing lightning was visible. The speed of the cloud’s movement decreased, its surface became less and less agitated - it turned into a large black cover and no longer threatened us.”
On September 12, the volcano again emitted a deadly fire cloud, the edge of which reached the Red Hill; previously scorching whirlwinds had not passed over this territory. The new disaster killed 1,500 people.
Scientists believe that the scorching cloud consists of an emulsion mixture of hot gases and hot lava dust. The speed of its movement is colossal, it can reach 500 kilometers per hour, which is why this amazing formation is so dangerous for humans and all living things in general - it is impossible to escape from it.
From the book Security Encyclopedia author Gromov V I8.4. Dangers from volcanoes A volcano emits gases, liquid and solids with high temperature. This often causes the destruction of buildings and the death of people. Lava and other hot erupted substances flow down the slopes of the mountain and burn out everything they encounter on the
From the book Big Soviet Encyclopedia(EC) of the author TSBExtrusion (type of volcanic eruption) Extrusion, a type of volcanic eruption, characteristic of volcanoes with viscous lava. The protruding viscous lava forms a dome above the volcano’s mouth, from which gases are released from time to time during strong explosions and
From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 1 [Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and Medicine] authorWhat volcanic eruptions are in the top ten most catastrophic? The ten most catastrophic eruptions in human history are considered to be the following volcanic eruptions (the approximate number of deaths is indicated in square brackets): Tambora (Indonesia, 1815),
From the book I Explore the World. Treasures of the Earth author Golitsyn M. S.How many active volcanoes are there in Kamchatka? There are 29 active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The most active of them are: Klyuchevskaya Sopka (55 eruptions since 1697), Karymskaya Sopka (31 eruptions since 1771) and Avacha Sopka (16 eruptions since 1737). Even more volcanoes
From the book The Newest Book of Facts. Volume 1. Astronomy and astrophysics. Geography and other earth sciences. Biology and medicine author Kondrashov Anatoly PavlovichPoor relatives of noble volcanoes. The most interesting and mysterious natural phenomenon is mud volcanoes. They are free exploration wells for oil and gas, as well as keepers of some metal ores and medicinal mud. The first records that have reached us about mud volcanoes on
From the book Encyclopedia of Disasters author Denisova Polina From the book 100 Great Mysteries of the Earth author From the book A Brief Guide to Essential Knowledge author Chernyavsky Andrey Vladimirovich From the book 100 Great Mysteries of Astronomy author Volkov Alexander ViktorovichCatastrophic phenomena accompanying volcanic eruptions An active volcano can cause a disaster without even beginning to erupt violently. It is already known that after the first eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, its top was destroyed, and a huge
From the book Countries and Peoples. Questions and answers author Kukanova Yu. V.Secrets of asphalt volcanoes Asphalt volcanoes, which are only 10 years old in the scientific inventory of the world, are considered one of the most unusual ecosystems. These mountains rise on the seabed, at a depth of about 3000 meters. Only robots have so far managed to penetrate here, to the mysterious Black box
From the book Natural Disasters. Volume 1 by Davis LeeLargest volcanic eruptions in history
From the author's bookThe mysterious geology of the Moon: magnetic field, volcanic eruptions, seismic activity One after another, they rush to the Moon automatic stations. Each time they arrive at a planet that we, it turns out, don’t know. We visited it, but did not obtain all its secrets. How
From the author's bookWhat is “volcano country”? Iceland is a fairly large island in the Atlantic Ocean. Iceland was first settled by the Vikings, who were forced to move here from Norway. The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik (this word translates as “bay of smoke”) is located precisely in that
From the author's bookWhere is the "alley of volcanoes"? In the territory of Ecuador, located on the equator itself, there are several active and extinct volcanoes. We can say that the inhabitants of this country literally live on a volcano, or rather on an entire “alley”, on the parallel ridges of the Andes.
From the author's bookTHE MOST POWERFUL OF RECORDED VOLCANO ERUPTIONS GEOGRAPHY West Indies, o. Saint Vincent Soufriere. 1902 Guatemala Aqua, 1549 Santa Maria, 1902 Greece Santorini: Atlantis, 1470 BC e.Indonesia Papandayan, 1772 Miyi-Lma, 1793 Tambora, 1815 Krakatau, 1883 Kelud, 1909 Kelud. 1919
From the author's book1. VOLCANO ERUPTIONS AND NATURAL EXPLOSIONS If drama and spectacle were the essence of natural disasters, then volcanic eruptions would become their standard, since there is probably nothing more terrifying and magnificent. The volcanic eruption is catastrophic and
Today we will talk about the most destructive volcanoes in human history.
The eruption attracts, frightens and fascinates us at the same time. Beauty, entertainment, spontaneity, enormous danger for humans and all living things - all this is inherent in this violent natural phenomenon.
So, let's look at volcanoes, whose eruptions have caused the destruction of vast territories and mass extinctions.
VESUVIUS.
The most famous active volcano is Vesuvius. It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Naples, 15 km from Naples. With a relatively low altitude (1280 meters above sea level) and “youth” (12 thousand years), it is rightfully considered the most recognizable in the world.
Vesuvius is the only active volcano on the European continent. It poses a great danger due to the dense population near the silent giant. Huge numbers of people are at risk of being buried under thick lava every day.
The last eruption, which managed to wipe out two entire Italian cities from the face of the Earth, happened quite recently, in the midst of World War II. However, the eruption of 1944 in terms of the scale of the catastrophe cannot be compared with the events of August 24, 79 AD. The devastating consequences of that day still boggle our imagination. The eruption lasted more than a day, during which ash and dirt mercilessly destroyed the glorious city of Pompeii.
Until that moment, the local residents had no idea about the impending danger; they were let down by a very familiar attitude towards the formidable Vesuvius, as if it were an ordinary mountain. The volcano gave them fertile soil rich in minerals. Abundant harvests were the reason that the city was quickly populated, developed, gained some prestige and even became a vacation spot for the then aristocracy. Soon a drama theater and one of the largest amphitheaters in Italy were built. Some time later, the region gained fame as the calmest and most prosperous place on the whole Earth. Could people have guessed that this flourishing area would be covered by merciless lava? What rich potential of this region will it never be realized? That all its beauty, improvement, and cultural development will be erased from the face of the Earth?
The first shock, which should have alerted the residents, was a strong earthquake, as a result of which many buildings in Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed. However, people who had arranged their life so well were in no hurry to leave their settled place. Instead, they restored the buildings in an even more luxurious, new style. From time to time, minor earthquakes occurred, to which no one paid much attention. This was their fatal mistake. Nature itself gave signs of approaching danger. However, nothing disturbed the calm way of life of the inhabitants of Pompeii. And even when on August 24 a frightening roar was heard from the bowels of the earth, the townspeople decided to flee within the walls of their houses. At night the volcano woke up completely. People fled to the sea, but the lava caught up with them near the shore. Soon their fate was decided - almost everyone ended their lives under a thick layer of lava, dirt and ash.
The next day, the elements mercilessly attacked Pompeii. Most of the townspeople, whose number reached 20 thousand, managed to leave the city even before the disaster began, but about 2 thousand still died on the streets. Human. The exact number of victims has not yet been established, since the remains are found outside the city, in the surrounding area.
Let's try to feel the scale of the disaster by turning to the work of the Russian painter Karl Bryullov.
"The last day of Pompeii
The next major eruption occurred in 1631. It should be noted that a large number of victims were not due to a powerful emission of lava and ash, but due to the high population density. Just imagine, the sad historical experience did not sufficiently impress people - they still densely settled and continue to settle near Vesuvius!
Santorini
Today, the Greek island of Santorini is a tasty morsel for tourists: white-stone houses, cozy atmospheric streets, picturesque views... Only one thing overshadows the romance - the proximity to the most formidable volcano in the world.
Santorini is an active shield volcano located on the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea. Its strongest eruption was 1645-1600 BC. e. caused the death of Aegean cities and settlements on the islands of Crete, Thira and the Mediterranean coast. The power of the eruption is impressive: it is three times stronger than the Krakatoa eruption and equals seven points!
Of course, such a strong explosion managed not only to reshape the landscape, but also change the climate. Huge cubes of ash thrown into the atmosphere prevented the sun's rays from touching the Earth, which led to global cooling. The fate of the Minoan civilization, the center of which was the island of Thira, is shrouded in mystery. The earthquake warned local residents about the impending disaster, they left in time native land. When a huge amount of ash and pumice came out from the interior of the volcano, the volcanic cone collapsed under the force of its own gravity. Sea water poured into the abyss, which formed a huge tsunami that washed away nearby settlements. Did not have more mountains Santorini. A huge oval chasm, the volcanic caldera, was forever filled with the waters of the Aegean Sea.
Recently, researchers found that the volcano has become more active. Almost 14 million cubic meters of magma have accumulated in it - it seems that Sentorini can reassert itself!
UNZEN
The Unzen volcanic complex, which consists of four domes, became a real synonym for disaster for the Japanese. It is located on the Shimabara Peninsula, its height is 1500 m.
In 1792, one of the most destructive eruptions in human history occurred. At one point, a 55-meter tsunami arose, destroying more than 15 thousand inhabitants. Of these, 5 thousand died during the landslide, 5 thousand drowned during the tsunami that hit Higo, 5 thousand - from the wave returning to Shimabara. The tragedy is forever etched in the hearts of the Japanese people. Helplessness in the face of the raging elements, the pain from the loss of a huge number of people was immortalized in numerous monuments that we can see in Japan.
After this terrible event, Unzen fell silent for almost two centuries. But in 1991 another eruption occurred. 43 scientists and journalists were buried under the pyroplastic flow. Since then, the volcano has erupted several times. Currently, although it is considered weakly active, it is under close monitoring by scientists.
TAMBORA
Volcano Tambora is located on the island of Sumbawa. Its eruption in 1815 is rightfully considered the most powerful eruption in human history. It is possible that more powerful eruptions have occurred during the existence of the Earth, but we have no information about this.
So, in 1815, nature went wild: an eruption occurred with a magnitude of 7 on the scale of eruption intensity (explosive force) of a volcano, the maximum value being 8. The disaster shocked the entire Indonesian archipelago. Just think about it, the energy released during the eruption is equal to the energy of two hundred thousand atomic bombs! 92 thousand people were killed! Places with once fertile soil turned into lifeless space, resulting in a terrible famine. Thus, 48 thousand people died from hunger on the island of Sumbawa, 44 thousand on the island of Lambok, 5 thousand on the island of Bali.
However, the consequences were observed even far from the eruption - the climate of all of Europe underwent changes. The fateful year of 1815 was called “the year without summer”: the temperature became noticeably lower, and in a number of European countries it was not even possible to harvest the harvest.
KRAKATAU
Krakatau is an active volcano in Indonesia, located between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Malay Archipelago in the Sunda Strait. Its height is 813 m.
Before the 1883 eruption, the volcano was much higher and consisted of one large island. However, an eruption in 1883 destroyed the island and the volcano. On the morning of August 27, Krakatoa fired four strong shots, each of which resulted in a powerful tsunami. Huge masses of water poured into populated areas with such speed that residents did not have time to climb a nearby hill. The water, sweeping away everything in its path, raked in crowds of frightened people and carried them away, turning the once flourishing lands into a lifeless space full of chaos and death. So, the tsunami caused the death of 90% of those killed! The rest fell to volcanic debris, ash and gas. The total number of victims was 36.5 thousand people.
Most of the island went under water. Ashes captured the whole of Indonesia: the sun was not visible for several days, the islands of Java and Sumatra were covered in pitch darkness. On the other side Pacific Ocean the sun turned blue due to the huge amount of ash released during the eruption. Volcanic debris released into the atmosphere managed to change the color of sunsets around the world for three whole years. They turned bright red and it seemed as if nature itself symbolized human death with this unusual phenomenon.
MONT PELAY
30 thousand people died as a result of a powerful eruption of the Mont Pele volcano, which is located on Martinique, a beautiful island Caribbean Sea. The fire-breathing mountain spared nothing; everything was destroyed, including the nearby elegant, cozy city of Saint-Pierre - the Paris of the West Indies, into the construction of which the French invested all their knowledge and strength.
The volcano began its inactive activity back in 1753. However, rare emissions of gases, flames and the absence of serious explosions gradually established the fame of Mont Pele as a capricious, but by no means formidable volcano. Subsequently, it became only a part of the beautiful natural landscape and served for the residents rather as a decoration of their area. Despite this, when in the spring of 1902, when Mont-Pele began to broadcast danger with tremors and a column of smoke, the townspeople did not hesitate. Sensing trouble, they decided to flee in time: some sought refuge in the mountains, others in the water.
Their determination was seriously affected by the huge number of snakes that slid down the slopes of Mont Pele and filled the entire city. Victims from the bites, then from the boiling lake, which was located not far from the crater, overflowed its banks and poured into the back part of the city in a huge stream - all this convinced residents of the need for urgent evacuation. However, the local government considered these precautions unnecessary. The mayor of the city, extremely concerned about the upcoming elections, was too interested in the turnout of citizens at such an important political event. He took the necessary measures to ensure that the population did not leave the city; he personally persuaded the residents to stay. As a result, most of them did not attempt to escape; those who escaped returned, resuming their usual way of life.
On the morning of May 8, a deafening roar was heard, a huge cloud of ash and gases flew out of the crater, instantly descended along the slopes of Mont Pele and... swept away everything in its path. In one minute this amazing, thriving town was completely destroyed. Factories, houses, trees, people - everything was melted, torn out, poisoned, burned, tormented. It is believed that the death of the unfortunates occurred in the first three minutes. Of the 30 thousand inhabitants, only two were lucky enough to survive.
On May 20, the volcano exploded again with the same force, which led to the death of 2 thousand rescuers who were raking the ruins of the destroyed city at that moment. On August 30, a third explosion occurred, leading to the death of thousands of residents of nearby villages. Mont Pele erupted several more times until 1905, after which it went into hibernation until 1929, when a rather powerful eruption occurred, however, without causing casualties.
These days the volcano is considered inactive, Saint-Pierre is being restored, but after these terrible events it has little chance of regaining the status of the most beautiful city in Martinique.
NEVADO DEL RUIZ
Due to its impressive height (5400m), Nevado del Ruiz is rightfully considered the highest active volcano in the Andes mountain range. Its top is shrouded in ice and snow - that is why its name is “Nevado”, which means “snowy”. It is located in the volcanic zone of Colombia - the Caldas and Tolima regions.
Nevado del Ruiz is one of the deadliest volcanoes in the world for a reason. Eruptions leading to mass death have occurred three times already. In 1595, over 600 people were buried under the ashes. In 1845, as a result strong earthquake 1 thousand inhabitants died.
And finally, in 1985, when the volcano was already considered dormant, 23 thousand people died. It should be noted that the cause of the latest disaster was the outrageous negligence of the authorities, who did not consider it necessary to monitor volcanic activity. At the moment, 500 thousand residents of nearby areas are at risk of becoming victims of a new eruption every day.
So, in 1985, the crater of the volcano ejected powerful gas-pyroclastic flows. Because of them, the ice at the top melted, which led to the formation of lahars - volcanic flows that instantly moved down the slopes. This avalanche of water, clay, and pumice destroyed everything in its path. Destroying rocks, soil, plants and absorbing it all, the lahars quadrupled during the journey!
The thickness of the streams was 5 meters. One of them destroyed the city of Armero in an instant; out of 29 thousand inhabitants, 23 thousand died! Many of the survivors died in hospitals as a result of infection, epidemic typhus and yellow fever. Among all the volcanic disasters known to us, Nevado del Ruiz ranks fourth in terms of the number of human deaths. Devastation, chaos, disfigured human bodies, screams and moans - this is what appeared before the eyes of the rescuers who arrived the next day.
To understand the horror of the tragedy, let's take a look at the now famous photograph of journalist Frank Fournier. It shows 13-year-old Omaira Sanchez, who, finding herself among the rubble of buildings and unable to get out, bravely fought for her life for three days, but could not win this unequal battle. You can imagine how many lives of such children, teenagers, women, and old people were taken by the raging elements.
TOBA
Toba is located on the island of Sumatra. Its height is 2157 m, it has the largest caldera in the world (area 1775 sq. km), in which the largest lake of volcanic origin was formed.
Toba is interesting because it is a supervolcano, i.e. From the outside it is practically invisible; it can only be seen from space. We can be on the surface of this kind of volcano for thousands of years, and only learn about its existence at the moment of a catastrophe. It is worth noting that while an ordinary fire-breathing mountain has an eruption, such a supervolcano has an explosion.
The Toba eruption, which occurred during the last ice age, is considered one of the most powerful during the existence of our planet. 2800 km³ of magma came out of the volcano's caldera, and ash deposits covered South Asia. Indian Ocean, Arabian and South China seas, reached 800 km³. Thousands of years later, scientists discovered the smallest ash particles 7 thousand km away. from a volcano on the territory of the African Lake Nyasa.
As a result of the huge amount of ash emitted by the volcano, the sun was obscured. A real volcanic winter set in, lasting several years.
The number of people decreased sharply - only a few thousand people managed to survive! It is with the explosion of Toba that the “bottleneck” effect is associated - a theory according to which in ancient times the human population was distinguished by genetic diversity, but most of the people suddenly died out as a result of a natural disaster, thus reducing the gene pool.
EL CHICHON
El Chichon is the southernmost volcano in Mexico, located in the state of Chiapas. Its age is 220 thousand years.
It is noteworthy that until recently local residents were not at all worried about the proximity to the volcano. The issue of security was also not relevant because the areas adjacent to the volcano were rich in dense forests, which indicated the long-term hibernation of El Chichon. However, on March 28, 1982, after 12 hundred years of peaceful sleep, the fire-breathing mountain demonstrated its full destructive power. The first stage of the eruption entailed a powerful explosion, as a result of which a huge ash column (height - 27 km) formed over the crater, which covered an area within a radius of 100 km in less than an hour.
A huge amount of tephra was released into the atmosphere, and heavy ashfalls occurred around the volcano. About 2 thousand people died. It should be noted that the evacuation of the population was poorly organized and the process was slow. Many residents left the territory, but after a while they returned, which, of course, led to dire consequences for them.
In May of the same year, the next eruption occurred, which was even more powerful and destructive than the previous one. The convergence of the pyroclastic flow left a scorched strip of land and a thousand human deaths.
The disaster was not going to stop there. Local residents suffered two more Plinian eruptions, which generated a 29-kilometer column of ash. The number of victims again reached a thousand people.
The consequences of the eruption affected the country's climate. A huge cloud of ash covered 240 square km; in the capital, visibility was only a few meters. Due to ash particles hanging in the layers of the stratosphere, a noticeable cooling occurred.
In addition, the natural balance has been disrupted. Many birds and animals were destroyed. Some types of insects began to grow rapidly, which resulted in the destruction of most of the crop.
LUCKY
The shield volcano Laki is located in the south of Iceland in the Skaftafell Park (since 2008 it has been part of the Vatnajökull National Park). The volcano is also called the Laki crater, because. it is part of a mountain system consisting of 115 craters.
In 1783 one of the most powerful eruptions, which set a world record for the number of human casualties! In Iceland alone, almost 20 thousand lives were lost – that’s one third of the population. However, the volcano carried its destructive impact beyond the borders of its country - death even reached Africa. There are many destructive, deadly volcanoes on Earth, but Lucky is the only one of his kind who killed slowly, gradually, in various ways.
The most interesting thing is that the volcano warned residents about the upcoming danger as best it could. Seismic displacements, uplifting land, raging geysers, explosions of pillars into the air, whirlpools, boiling of the sea - there were plenty of signs of an imminent eruption. For several weeks in a row, the land literally shook under the feet of the Icelanders, which, of course, scared them, but no one attempted to escape. People were confident that their homes were strong enough to protect them from the eruption. They hunkered down at home, tightly locking the windows and doors.
In January, the formidable neighbor made himself known. He raged until June. During these six months of eruptions, Mount Skaptar-Ekul split open and a huge 24-meter chasm formed. Harmful gases came out and formed a powerful lava flow. Imagine how many such flows there were - hundreds of craters erupted! When the flows reached the sea, the lava solidified, but the water boiled, and all the fish within a radius of several kilometers from the shore died.
Sulfur dioxide covered the entire territory of Iceland, which led to acid rain and destruction of vegetation. As a result, agriculture suffered greatly, and famine and disease struck the surviving inhabitants.
Soon “Hungry Haze” reached all of Europe, and a few years later to China. The climate changed, dust particles did not allow the rays of the sun to pass through, summer never came. Temperatures dropped by 1.3 ºC, leading to cold-related deaths, crop failures and famine in many European countries. The eruption even left its mark on Africa. Due to the abnormal cold, the temperature contrast was minimal, which led to a decrease in monsoon activity, drought, shallowing of the Nile, and crop failure. Africans died en masse from starvation.
ETNA
Mount Etna is the highest active volcano in Europe and one of the largest volcanoes in the world. It is located on the east coast of Sicily, near the cities of Messina and Catania. Its circumference is 140 km and covers an area of approximately 1.4 thousand square meters. km.
There have been approximately 140 powerful eruptions of this volcano in modern times. In 1669 Catania was destroyed. In 1893, the Silvestri crater appeared. In 1911 a northeastern crater formed. In 1992 a huge lava flow stopped near Zafferana Etnea. The last time the volcano erupted lava was in 2001, destroying the cable car leading to the crater.
Currently, the volcano is a popular place for hiking and skiing. Several half-empty towns are located at the foot of the fire-breathing mountain, but few dare to risk living there. Here and there, gases escape from the depths of the earth; it is impossible to predict when, where and with what power the next eruption will occur.
MERAPI
Marapi is the most active active volcano in Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java near the city of Yogyakarta. Its height is 2914 meters. This is a relatively young, but quite restless volcano: since 1548 it has erupted 68 times!
The close proximity to such an active fire-breathing mountain is very dangerous. But, as is usually the case in economically undeveloped countries, local residents, without thinking about the risk, appreciate the benefits that the mineral-rich soil gives them - bountiful harvests. Thus, about 1.5 million people currently live near Marapi.
Strong eruptions occur every 7 years, smaller ones every couple of years, and the volcano smokes almost daily. Disaster of 1006 The Javanese-Indian kingdom of Mataram was completely destroyed. In 1673 One of the most powerful eruptions occurred, as a result of which several cities and villages were wiped off the face of the Earth. There were nine eruptions in the 19th century, 13 in the last century.
Volcanoes are one of the most treacherous and cruel natural phenomena. They hide for hundreds of years, creating the illusion of safety, and then wake up and destroy all life around. One volcano can consume entire cities, turn summer into winter, and change the course of history forever. Scientists predict that these monsters are capable of destroying our civilization. The time has come to talk about the most terrible volcanic eruptions.
Eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. e. was not the most powerful in history, but definitely one of the most catastrophic. In two days he destroyed Big City The Roman Empire, which was inhabited by 20 thousand people - Pompeii. People were sure that the volcano had fallen asleep forever, so when a roar began to be heard from the side of the mountain, they continued to go about their business.
Source: ice-nut
As pieces of pumice and flakes of ash fell from the sky, people began to leave Pompeii. Several thousand people remained in the city and were doomed to death.
Scientists concluded that the people who did not manage to leave the city were killed by a pyroclastic flow. This is a rapidly rushing avalanche consisting of hot ash, pumice and volcanic gases. Six such streams descended from Vesuvius, burying Pompeii and three other smaller settlements - Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae.
The video shows a reconstruction of this terrible event.
The eruption of Mount Tambora in April 1815 on the island of Sumbawa, according to various sources, claimed the lives of 70 to 170 thousand people. No other volcano in history has killed so many people.
source: stormnews Tambora woke up with a deafening explosion. The islands located in the vicinity of the volcano began to be covered with volcanic ash. When pyroclastic flows began to descend from the slopes of the mountain, people who found themselves in their path had practically no chance of survival - about 12 thousand people died. The volcano destroyed three kingdoms with a distinctive culture - Pecat, Sangar and Tambora. Tens of thousands more people died after the eruption.
source: set-travel With its eruption, Tambora caused the so-called year without summer - from May to September 1816 in Europe and North America There were frosts, which led to crop failure and, as a consequence, death of people from hunger and disease.
The eruption of Krakatoa Volcano in 1883 affected the whole world. The disaster affected the planet’s climate and “repainted” the sun in green and blue shades for several months. The volcano announced its awakening with a powerful roar that could be heard five thousand kilometers away. It is believed to be the loudest sound in history. The explosion tore the deserted island of Krakatoa to pieces. The shock wave blew out glass in buildings located within a radius of 130 km from Krakatoa.
source: wulkano Volcanic precipitation blocked out the sun, plunging the area surrounding the volcano into darkness. A hot pyroclastic flow swept through the water and reached populated areas.
Those who survived faced a new test - the volcano generated a tsunami. Five giant waves hit the shore, flooding the islands of Sumatra and Java. About 300 villages and cities were destroyed. According to official data, about 40 thousand people became victims of Krakatoa.
The disaster changed the climate on the planet for several years, causing cooling. The release of a huge amount of ash into the atmosphere caused an unusual phenomenon - circles (halos) appeared around the Sun, and the celestial body itself turned green and blue for several months.
Witness the destructive power of a pyroclastic flow.
The Laki volcano in Iceland began to erupt in 1783. Lava poured out through the faults that appeared as a result of tremors for eight months.
source: esgeo The situation was aggravated by the awakening of Laki's neighbor, the Grimsvötn volcano. A huge amount of toxic gases - sulfur dioxide and hydrogen fluoride - were released into the atmosphere. These compounds provoked acid rain, which destroyed animals and vegetation. The eruption destroyed crops and most of the livestock. As a result, more than 20% of Iceland's population died from hunger and disease.
The toxic fog has spread to Europe. The effects of the Laki eruption were felt for another two years. The entire Northern Hemisphere experienced a cold snap, causing abnormally cold winters. Crop failure and livestock loss led to famine and killed tens of thousands of people.
The powerful eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippine Islands in 1991 was one of the most destructive in the 20th century. Vulcan was silent for 600 years. During this time, thousands of Filipinos settled on its slopes. The explosion occurred on June 12, and a column of smoke and ash rose above the volcano.
