Five of the World's Deadliest Volcanoes

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The discussion centers on the world's five deadliest volcanoes, highlighting Kilauea, Changbaishan, Mount Tambora, Thera, and Mount Pelée. Kilauea is noted for its continuous lava flow, while Changbaishan's last eruption in 1903 is significant due to its historical impact. Mount Tambora's 1815 eruption caused global climate changes, and Thera's eruption around 1600 BC is linked to the decline of the Minoan civilization. The conversation also touches on the importance of monitoring volcanoes to prevent disasters, particularly in economically challenged regions like Italy.

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I happen to stumble across this article: The world’s five deadliest volcanoes … and why they’re so dangerous
https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-five-deadliest-volcanoes-and-why-theyre-so-dangerous-74901

It's either that folks live near the volcano, or folks visit.

KILAUEA has been active for some time now, and lava apparently is routinely flowing to the ocean.
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/elevated.html

https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/lava2.htm - one can visit, but there are areas on/over which one should not walk.

https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/fs152-00/

I didn't know about the fifth one: Changbaishan, China
Few have heard of this volcano in a remote part of Asia – and its last eruption was in 1903. However, its history tells a rather scarier story. In around 969AD, the volcano produced one of the largest eruptions of the last 10,000 years, releasing three times more material than Krakatoa did in 1886.

Edit: Changed title of thread to be more accurate. The title was "World's Five Deadliest Volcanoes".
 
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Astronuc said:
I didn't know about the fifth one: Changbaishan, China
I didn't either. It's potentially the most powerful of the set and it's right on the China/North Korean border.
 
I find this criterion "volcano" a bit strange (my opinion). I assumed to find the Phlegraean Fields instead of Vesuvius and definitely Yellowstone, and Anak Krakatoa as the headline, not Krakatoa, but this might be hair splitting. You are right
Astronuc said:
It's either that folks live near the volcano, or folks visit.
which doesn't affect much people (maybe with the exception of Naples and Popocatepetl). As far us I know, a major eruption of Anak Krakatoa could affect us all, and definitely Yellowstone and the Phlegraean Fields would, plus propbably some less famous plumes.
 
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fresh_42 said:
I find this criterion "volcano" a bit strange (my opinion). I assumed to find the Phlegraean Fields instead of Vesuvius and definitely Yellowstone, and Anak Krakatoa as the headline, not Krakatoa, but this might be hair splitting. You are right

yup, I felt the same way with Anak Krakatoa and primarily its predecessor being the only really deadly one in that list
there are many other seriously dangerous / potentially dangerous volcanoes to consider. Two of which fresh_42 pointed out ...
Vesuvius and definitely Yellowstone

+ Mount Tambora

The Volcanic Explosivity Index goes up to 8. On that scale, the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora rates a very destructive 7. The explosion took place on the island of Sumbawa (then in the Dutch East Indies, now in Indonesia) and plunged the region into darkness, but its effects were anything but isolated. Tens of thousands of people were killed by the apocalyptic eruption, subsequent tsunamis and ensuing starvation and disease. The largest volcanic eruption in recorded history changed the world's climate so much (even crops in Europe and North America failed) that 1816 became known as "the year without a summer." Tambora itself shrank several thousand feet and traded its peak for a massive crater at its summit.

Thera would be high on my list

Some 3,500 years ago, an event of cataclysmic proportions rocked the Mediterranean. The volcano at Thera (later known as the Greek island of Santorini) exploded with what is estimated at four to five times the eruptive force of Krakatoa in 1883, blowing a hole into the Aegean isle and sending out shock waves that, according to historians, would reverberate for centuries to come. The great seafaring Minoan civilization, the dominant Greek culture of the time, potentially withered away after clouds of ash enveloped its cities and great tsunami waves smashed its fleets. Stories of a world-shaking eruption linger in legends across the Mediterranean.

Mount Pelée

Mount Pelée, standing more than 4,500 feet high on the French Caribbean island of Martinique, erupted violently in May 1902, killing nearly 30,000 people — effectively the entire port city of St. Pierre. The catastrophe was so devastating that the term pelean — to describe that particular kind of ash, gas and fiery cloud eruption — became part of volcanic vernacular. There had been warnings of steam, light Earth shocks and raining ash, but they were ignored. After the town was wiped out, Pelée went dormant for some months, until geologists discovered a lava dome, dubbed the tower of Pelée, that rose to more than 1,000 feet above the crater floor before eventually crumbling in March 1903.Dave
 
davenn said:
yup, I felt the same way with Anak Krakatoa and primarily its predecessor being the only really deadly one in that list
there are many other seriously dangerous / potentially dangerous volcanoes to consider.
I was thinking about Tambora (Indonesia) and Pinatubo (Philippines), and also Huaynaputina (Peru).

Here is a list of deadliest volcanic eruptions on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_volcanic_eruptions_by_death_toll
 
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Astronuc said:
and also Huaynaputina (Peru).

not familiar with this one, will have a read
 
https://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/the-pain-filled-issue-with-ischia/

This blog is several years old but, IIRC, uplift continues. Ischia's dormant central volcano has the potential to kill many, many people, many ways. Land-slides, flank eruptions, flank collapses, pyroclastic flows etc etc. To paraphrase the technical detail, if it makes trouble suddenly, there's nowhere to run. Worse, the entire Bay of Naples area is horribly vulnerable to any Eastbound debris or tsunami...
 
Nik_2213 said:
https://volcanocafe.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/the-pain-filled-issue-with-ischia/

This blog is several years old but, IIRC, uplift continues. Ischia's dormant central volcano has the potential to kill many, many people, many ways. Land-slides, flank eruptions, flank collapses, pyroclastic flows etc etc. To paraphrase the technical detail, if it makes trouble suddenly, there's nowhere to run. Worse, the entire Bay of Naples area is horribly vulnerable to any Eastbound debris or tsunami...

interesting article, thanks for sharing :smile:

The wonderful things about vulcanology these days is that unless a volcano is completely unmonitored,
it's difficult to get caught off-guard. Monitoring volcanoes of interest means that they give early warning
of possible impending activity ... magma movement = harmonic tremor and other many small quake
swarms would announce a warning :smile:

The real problem lies in that many countries don't have the funding available for such
studies/monitoring -- and unfortunately Italy is a classic example of this.
And this is how the population can get caught off-guard by " sudden trouble" :frown:
It wasn't really sudden, the precursors were just not being monitoredDave
 
davenn said:
The real problem lies in that many countries don't have the funding available for such
studies/monitoring -- and unfortunately Italy is a classic example of this.
If the Phlegraean Fields erupt, no warning will ever be early enough: you cannot evacuate over three million people. I'm not sure your information about funding is correct, as the major ones (Phlegraean Fields, Vesuvius, Stromboli, Etna) are certainly monitored. At least I've seen the measure points on tv. But what is really bad is, the following story (no fake):
https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/11...ologists-manslaughter-laquila-earthquake-fear
 
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fresh_42 said:
I'm not sure your information about funding is correct, as the major ones (Phlegraean Fields, Vesuvius, Stromboli, Etna) are certainly monitored.

just a noted generalisation in 3rd world / economically not well off countries

If there is monitoring, and their may well be ... wouldn't be surprised if it isn't funded by USA and other better off countries
Italy has a huge financial problem that is well known

fresh_42 said:
https://www.theverge.com/2014/11/11...ologists-manslaughter-laquila-earthquake-fear

yeah, I'm well familiar with that history and it is partly what comment the way I did ... tis very unfortunateDave
 
  • #11
davenn said:
Italy has a huge financial problem that is well known
But Italy has the fourth largest economy in Europe, and eighth worldwide, ahead of Spain or Russia.
 
  • #12
this is getting seriously off topic