The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the largest eruption since 1912, is dwarfed by the eruptions in this list.
In a volcanic eruption, lava, volcanic bombs, ash, and various gases are expelled from a volcanic vent and fissure. While many eruptions only pose dangers to the immediately surrounding area, Earth's largest eruptions can have a major regional or even global impact, with some affecting the climate and contributing to mass extinctions.[1][2] Volcanic eruptions can generally be characterized as either explosive eruptions, sudden ejections of rock and ash, or effusive eruptions, relatively gentle outpourings of lava.[3] A separate list is given below for each type.
There have probably been many such eruptions during Earth's history beyond those shown in these lists. However erosion and plate tectonics have taken their toll, and many eruptions have not left enough evidence for geologists to establish their size. Even for the eruptions listed here, estimates of the volume erupted can be subject to considerable uncertainty.[4]
^Roy Britt, Robert (8 March 2005). "Super Volcano Will Challenge Civilization, Geologists Warn". LiveScience. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
^Self, Steve. "Flood basalts, mantle plumes and mass extinctions". Geological Society of London. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
^"Effusive & Explosive Eruptions". Geological Society of London. Archived from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference Bryan et al 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
and 25 Related for: List of largest volcanic eruptions information
In a volcaniceruption, lava, volcanic bombs, ash, and various gases are expelled from a volcanic vent and fissure. While many eruptions only pose dangers...
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present). Other volcaniceruptions are also listed. Some eruptions cooled the global climate—inducing a volcanic winter—depending on the amount of sulfur dioxide...
This is an incomplete listofvolcaniceruptions in Iceland. Please see External links below for databases of Icelandic eruptions which include over 530...
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8 cu mi) of dense-rock equivalent (DRE), the eruption was one of the largestvolcanic events in human history. Since tephra from the Minoan eruption serves...
island of Sumbawa in present-day Indonesia, then part of the Dutch East Indies, and its 1815 eruption was the most powerful volcaniceruption in recorded...
Portman, David A. (1 June 1989). "Major VolcanicEruptions and Climate: A Critical Evaluation" (PDF). Journal of Climate. 2 (6): 566–593. Bibcode:1989JCli...
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Hemisphere in the last 2,000 years. The volcanic winter was caused by at least three simultaneous eruptionsof uncertain origin, with several possible...
it one of the largestvolcaniceruptions during the Holocene epoch. It left behind a large caldera that contains Lake Segara Anak. Later volcanic activity...
of life, brought about by forces other than the acts of human beings. A natural disaster might be caused by earthquakes, flooding, volcaniceruption,...
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