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GEOGRAPHY
Physical - Natural Disasters
Worst Volcanoes by Death Toll
This list features the worst volcanic eruptions in history based on the number of fatalities.
RANK | VOLCANO | LOCATION | DEATH TOLL | VEI SCALE | YEAR |
1 | Mount Tambora | Indonesia | 71,000 to 250,100+ | 7 | 1815 |
2 | Krakatoa | Indonesia | 36,000 | 6 | 1883 |
3 | Mount Pelée | Martinique | 30,000 | 4 | 1902 |
4 | Nevado del Ruiz | Colombia | 23,000 | 3 | 1985 |
5 | Santorini | Greece | 20,000 | 6 | c. 1600 BC |
6 | Mount Samalas | Indonesia | 15,000 to 20,000 | 7 | 1257 |
7 | Mount Unzen | Japan | 15,000 | 2 | 1792 |
8 | Mount Vesuvius | Italy | 13,000 | 5 | 79 |
9 | Laki and Grímsvötn | Iceland | 10,000 | 4 | 1783 |
10 | Kelud | Indonesia | 10,000 | 5 | 1586 |
References
Caribbean Journal of Earth Science. (2014). Volcanic Hazards and Disaster Management in the Caribbean: The Case of Mont Pelée. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=352080 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Geological Society of America Bulletin. (2006). The Eruption of Santorini: A Case Study in Volcano-Glacial Interaction. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=202003 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Global Volcanism Program. (2021). Mount Tambora (Indonesia). Smithsonian Institution. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=264010 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Indonesian Journal of Geography. (2009). Volcanic Eruptions of Mount Kelud. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=262040 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Kelud. Volcano Discovery. [online] Available at: https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/kelud.html [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
National Geographic. (2021). The Eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/the-eruption-of-vesuvius-in-ad-79 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Smith, J. (2005). Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded. HarperCollins Publishers. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=263210 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (1999). The 1792 Eruption of Mount Unzen. [online] Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1999/circ1187/pdf/circ1187.pdf [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2011). Laki: A Volcanic Eruption That Changed Climate. [online] Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3025/pdf/fs2011-3025.pdf [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (2012). The Eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, in 1985. [online] Available at: https://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/dynamic/Nevado.html [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Verosub, K.L. and Mandeville, C.W. (2014). The Eruption of Mount Samalas in 1257. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. [online] Available at: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=264080 [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
Wired. Local and Global Impacts of the 1783–84 Laki Eruption in Iceland. [online] Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/iceland-laki-volcano-eruption-history-impact/ [Accessed 6 Jul. 2025].
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