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GEOGRAPHY
Physical - Natural Disasters
Strongest Volcanoes on the VEI Scale
This list features the worst volcanic eruptions ever recorded based on the VEI scale recordings.
RANK | ERUPTIONS | VEI SCALE | YEAR |
1 | Toba | 8 | 74,000 years ago |
2 | Yellowstone | 8 | 2.1 million years ago |
3 | La Garita | 8 | 26.3 million years ago |
4 | Wah Wah Springs | 8 | 30 million years ago |
5 | Flat Landing Brook | 8 | Ordovician period |
6 | Tambora | 7 | 1815 |
7 | Samalas | 7 | 1257 |
8 | Santorini | 7 | 1610 BC |
9 | Kikai | 7 | 4300 BC |
10 | Mazama | 7 | 5700 BC |
11 | Aira | 7 | 22,000 years ago |
12 | Campi Flegrei | 7 | 37,000 years ago |
13 | Long Valley | 7 | 760,000 years ago |
14 | Pinatubo | 6 | 1991 |
15 | Novarupta | 6 | 1912 |
16 | Krakatoa | 6 | 1883 |
17 | Santa Maria | 6 | 1902 |
18 | Huaynaputina | 6 | 1600 |
19 | Lake Ilopango | 6 | 450 AD |
References
Aira Caldera. Japan Meteorological Agency. [online] Available at: www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/volcanoes/aira.html [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Campi Flegrei: Supervolcano. National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience. [online] Available at: www.bosai.go.jp/e/knowledge/earthquakes/campi_flegrei/index.html [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Huaynaputina Volcano. Smithsonian Institution, Global Volcanism Program. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=355010 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Kikai Caldera. Japan Meteorological Agency. [online] Available at: www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/volcanoes/kikai.html [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded. National Geographic. [online] Available at: www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/krakatoa [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Lake Ilopango: A Volcano in El Salvador. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/lake-ilopango [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Long Valley Caldera. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/long-valley [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Novarupta Volcano. National Park Service. [online] Available at: www.nps.gov/katm/learn/nature/novarupta.htm [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Santorini Eruption History. Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. [online] Available at: www.culture.gr/en [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The 1257 Samalas Eruption and Its Global Impact. Geophysical Research Letters. [online] Available at: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/grl.50393 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The 1902 Eruption of Santa Maria. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/santa-maria [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The Eruption of Mount Mazama. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/centers/crs/science/eruption-mount-mazama [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The Eruption of Mount Pinatubo. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/pinatubo [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The Eruption of Mount Tambora. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [online] Available at: www.noaa.gov/earth/eruptions/tambora [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The La Garita Caldera. Colorado Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/geology/la-garita-calders/ [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The Ordovician Volcanic Rocks of the Bay of Fundy. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. [online] Available at: www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/e00-068 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
The Toba Supereruption. National Park Service. [online] Available at: www.nps.gov/articles/toba-supereruption.htm [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Wah Wah Springs Tuff. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/bul/1576/report.pdf [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Yellowstone Supervolcano. United States Geological Survey. [online] Available at: www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/yellowstone [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
SCALA
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