The largest of the volcanoes that shook the Earth the last 200 years

This review presents the five most powerful volcanoes that shook the Earth for the last two hundred years.

Mont Pelee (Mount Pelee) in Martinique (FR.)



This volcano gave the name to a particular type of eruptions — "pelasgia". The so-called very sudden volcanoes with catastrophic consequences. This type of volcanoes is characterized by the fact that if he started to erupt, next to him we can not continue to live in peace, as in the majority of cases, and urgency to evacuate. From volcanoes comes the so-called "scorching cloud" — a huge number of hot mud, ash, rocks flying from the crater and moving at a speed of 60-80 km/h down the hill. Along the way, this cloud grows in volume and destroys everything in its path.At the foot of Mont Pelee for some clouds may 8, 1902, died the town of Saint-Pierre. Then all that was found in the way of the burning clouds, were burned, crushed or strangled. The only survivor then the man was a criminal, who was locked under the ground.Krakatau (Krakatoa), Indonesia

1883 the inhabitants of the whole of Indonesia. New Guinea, South of Indochina, half of Australia and even Islands in the Indian ocean he heard a terrible roar. It blew up the island of Krakatoa. Horrible tsunami up to 40 meters washed away from Sumatra and Java all that were close to the shore. Court within a radius of hundreds of kilometers could not move because the sea was covered with a thick layer of pumice. Thrown terrible explosion high in the stratosphere, the ash spread around the globe, and around the world for weeks has observed a fantastic blood red, crimson and even green sunsets immortalised by the English artist. Now on the former site of the island the waves splashing and the three volcanoes has only half — an explosion cut the cone of the volcano Rakats exactly in half, and cut traces of the terrible underground forces. And next rose out of the water the young volcano Anak Krakatau ("Son of Krakatoa"), which is still active.





Mauna Loa (Mauna Loa), Hawaii, USA.

So highly in our ranking of Mauna Loa climbed because it is the largest mountain on our planet. Its height above sea level of only 4,200 m, but the height of the foot at the bottom of the Pacific ocean, is about 10 000 m, much higher than the Chomolungma. Known to man of the mountains Mauna Loa is second only to the volcano Olympus Mons, with a height of 21 000 m. But this volcano has remained outside of our story because, first, it has long been hopelessly extinguished, and secondly, Olympus Mons is not on Earth, but on Mars.

Santorini (Santorin), Cyclades, Greece. About the same catastrophe as that which has issued "on-mountain" Krakatau happened in Bible times in the Mediterranean. On Crete and the Cycladic Islands fifteen hundred years before Christ there was a highly developed Minoan culture centered on the island of Thira. Unfortunately, this island was a volcano.

"In one day and one disastrous night, the island ceased to exist. Most scientists are inclined to think that the legend about the vanished Atlantis was born in connection with this terrible eruption. The explosion of monstrous force also provoked unprecedented for a closed basin of the Mediterranean sea thing — tsunamis. According to calculations, the wave height of this tsunami on all the surrounding coasts of Crete, Greece and Phoenicia — up to 50 m. All coastal civilizations of the time were literally washed away. Not here whether the origins of one of the legends — the legend of the deluge, which is found in all without an exception of people who lived in the Mediterranean for two and a half thousand years ago?





Tambora (Tambora, Indonesia.

Its eruption in 1815 was the strongest in the history of mankind in all respects. Tambora completely destroyed the island of Sum - Bawa, area is the Crimea, and killed 92 000 people — a record among all volcanoes in the world. Tambora threw out of its crater 180 cubic kilometers of volcanic material down at the same time on more than two kilometers — it is also a record. If we try this number is spread evenly over the area of Kiev. from the layer of ash will not stick out, none of the tallest building, including the tower... what did Tambora was the limit for the volcanic paroxysm. The eruption of the same power, theoretically, can happen, stronger — that's impossible... And you say — Eyjafjallajokull. published

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