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© History Oasis / Created via Midjourney
We've compiled a list of some of the most famous and crazy volcanoes in history, including their most deadly eruptions.
In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius unleashed its fury on Pompeii and Herculaneum. The flow flash-cooked victims instantly, preserving them in their final moments—a mother cradling her child, a dog still chained to its post. When explorers rediscovered Pompeii in 1748, they found loaves of bread still in ovens and walls covered with election propaganda.
Krakatoa's 1883 explosion was the loudest sound in recorded history. The boom traveled seven times globally and was heard 3,000 miles away. The explosion obliterated two-thirds of the island and ejected enough ash to lower global temperatures by 1.2°C for five years. It caused tsunamis—reaching 120 feet high—that killed 36,000 people.
"Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!" These were volcanologist David Johnston's final words before Mount St. Helens' north face collapsed on May 18, 1980. The 5.1 magnitude earthquake triggered the largest landslide known to man. Within moments, the lateral blast flattened forests with hurricane-force winds reaching 670 mph. A buried 83-year-old lodge owner refused evacuation orders with his 16 cats. "If the mountain goes, I'm going with it," he declared.
Mount Tambora's 1815 eruption ejected 36 cubic miles of rock—enough to cover a square mile 120 miles high. The resulting "Year Without a Summer" in 1816 caused crop failures worldwide. When winter hit, food riots broke out across Europe as prices soared 800%.
When Mount Fuji last erupted in 1707, Edo (modern Tokyo) received four inches of ash—60 miles from the volcano. The eruption began just 49 days after a major earthquake. Though dormant for over 300 years, Fuji's magma chamber pressure has increased since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
After 500 years of silence, Mount Pinatubo awoke in 1991. The timing couldn't have been worse—Typhoon Yunya struck simultaneously, creating lethal rain-laden ash that collapsed buildings. Luckily, only 847 people died thanks to volcanic monitoring that enabled 200,000 evacuations. The eruption injected 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide, creating a global haze that dropped Earth's temperature by 0.5°C for two years.
Eyjafjallajökull. News anchors stumbled over the name while millions of travelers fumed in airports during April 2010. This Icelandic volcano halted European air travel for six days when its ash cloud—filled with microscopic glass-like particles—threatened to melt inside jet engines. 100,000 flights canceled. 10 million travelers stranded. $5 billion in economic losses.
Mount Etna's continuous eruptions have earned it the nickname "Eternal Fire." During its devastating 1669 eruption, Catania residents tried to divert the lava flow. Wrapped in water-soaked animal hides, they attacked the molten rock with pickaxes, successfully redirecting it briefly before it overwhelmed their efforts.
From 1983 to 2018, Kilauea erupted continuously, making it Earth's longest-lasting volcanic event in modern times. The 2018 eruption destroyed 700 homes in the Puna District and added 875 acres of new land to Hawaii's Big Island. Native Hawaiians revere Kilauea as the home of Pele, the goddess of fire. Offerings of gin and flowers are placed at the crater's edge.
Beneath Yellowstone National Park lies a slumbering giant. The Yellowstone Caldera's last major eruption 640,000 years ago ejected 240 cubic miles of material—enough to bury Texas five inches deep. Unlike traditional cone-shaped volcanoes, this supervolcano forms a massive depression 43 by 28 miles across. Its magma chamber contains enough molten rock to fill 14 million Olympic swimming pools.
"Long Mountain" in Hawaiian, Mauna Loa is a deceptive giant. While rising only 13,679 feet above sea level, it stretches another 30,000 feet below the ocean, making it taller than Mount Everest. Since 1843, Mauna Loa has erupted 33 times. Its 1950 eruption sent lava racing toward Hilo at 6 miles per hour. The flow reached the ocean in just 3 hours.
8:02 AM, May 8, 1902. Mount Pelée unleashed hell on Saint-Pierre, Martinique's "Paris of the Caribbean." A nuée ardente—glowing avalanche—of superheated gas and ash traveling at hurricane speed engulfed the city in minutes. Of 30,000 residents, only two survived. One survivor, Ludger Sylbaris, lived because he was in a poorly ventilated underground jail cell, being punished for drunkenness.
Nevado del Ruiz's 1985 eruption was relatively small but catastrophically deadly. The volcano melted its ice cap, sending—volcanic mudflows—racing down river valleys at 30 mph. Despite three hours' warning time while the mudflows traveled downslope, no evacuation was ordered. At 11:30 PM, three waves of mud buried Armero, killing 23,000 people—nearly the entire town.
Around 1600 BCE, Santorini exploded with a force estimated at 100 times greater than Pompeii. The eruption obliterated an advanced Minoan settlement and collapsed the island's center into the sea. Some scholars think this disaster inspired Plato's tale of Atlantis. The ash cloud caused crop failures as far away as China, where disruptions may have contributed to the fall of the Xia dynasty.
For over 2,000 years, Stromboli has erupted almost continuously, earning its nickname "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean." Ancient sailors navigated by its regular bursts of lava. Despite its constant activity, 500 people live on the island. In 2019, a rare major explosion killed one hiker struck by falling volcanic material.
On February 20, 1943, Mexican farmer Dionisio Pulido saw something crazy. While preparing his cornfield, he saw the ground bulge upward and crack open, emitting sulfurous smoke. The fissure had grown 50 feet high by nightfall, hurling rocks into the air. This was the activation of the Paricutín volcano. The growing volcano buried two villages in the coming years.
Mount Nyiragongo harbors the world's largest and most active lava lake—a 720-foot-wide cauldron of molten rock. Unlike most volcanoes, its lava has unusual chemical properties, making it as fluid as water. In 2002, fissures opened on Nyiragongo's flanks. Lava raced downhill at up to 60 mph—the fastest ever recorded—giving residents of Goma almost no warning. The molten rock destroyed 40% of the city and left 120,000 homeless.
In the remote Alaskan wilderness, Novarupta erupted in 1912, expelling 30 times more material than Mount St. Helens. It was the largest eruption of the 20th century. The blast created the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, where superheated ash deposits 700 feet deep steamed for decades. The ash cloud darkened skies across the northern hemisphere. In Kodiak, 100 miles away, residents needed lamps at noon, and ash collapsed roofs.
Taal Volcano is like a geological Russian doll—a volcano within a lake within a volcano within a lake. This complex system, just 30 miles from Manila, is the Philippines' second most active volcano. It has erupted 33 times since 1572. Its 1911 eruption killed 1,335 people and threw ash 12 miles high. Witnesses reported that seawater near the shore boiled, cooking fish that locals collected and ate.
From the ashes of Krakatoa's 1883 destruction, a new volcano emerged. In 1927, fishermen noticed a column of steam rising from the sea. By 1930, Anak Krakatau ("Child of Krakatoa") had grown into a new island. In December 2018, a major eruption triggered an underwater landslide, creating a tsunami that struck without warning. Over 430 people died along Java and Sumatra's coastlines.
After 400 years of silence, Soufrière Hills volcano awoke in 1995, devastating the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Over half the island became uninhabitable, including Plymouth, the capital, now buried under 40 feet of ash and mud. Two-thirds of the 12,000 residents permanently left.
On June 3, 1991, Unzen Volcano ended its 198-year slumber. A pyroclastic flow killed 43 people—including renowned volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft, who had documented volcanoes worldwide for decades. The French couple died alongside American geologist Harry Glicken, who had narrowly escaped death at Mount St. Helens years earlier.
White Island/Whakaari sits 30 miles offshore in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. On December 9, 2019, it erupted without warning while 47 tourists explored its crater. Twenty-two people died. Others suffered burns to 90% of their bodies from superheated steam, gas, and ash. Māori tribes had long recognized the island's dangers, naming it Te Puia o Whakaari ("The Dramatic Volcano").
In June 1783, Laki's eruption began an eight-month nightmare. This wasn't a single explosion but a series of eruptions along a 16-mile fissure that released the largest lava flow in recorded history. Toxic fluorine gas poisoned Iceland's grass, killing 80% of sheep and 50% of cattle. The resulting famine claimed 9,000 lives—a quarter of Iceland's population. Sulfur dioxide created a "dry fog" across Europe that caused respiratory failures and extreme weather.
"Fire Mountain" lives up to its name. Mount Merapi, on densely populated Java, has erupted regularly since 1548. Its 2010 eruption killed 353 people. Many villagers consider the volcano sacred, with a spirit kingdom inside it. Mbah Maridjan became a national hero when he died during the 2010 eruption, found in prayer position after refusing to abandon his post.
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