massive, prolonged volcanic eruptions in Siberia that coincided with the largest mass extinction in the history of life on earth
Enormous lava flows in India that may have contributed to the mass extinction in which the non-avian dinosaurs died out.
One of the largest supervolcano eruptions in the history of North America, which spread enormous ash clouds across the continent.
A gigantic eruption on Sumatra that may have brought humanity to the brink of extinction through a volcanic winter.
A devastating volcanic eruption in the Aegean Sea that may have fatally weakened the Minoan civilization.
The famous eruption that buried the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum under ash and pumice.
The largest volcanic eruption in recorded human history, which led to worldwide climate disruption.
A devastating eruption that largely destroyed the island of Krakatoa and caused deadly tsunamis.
The largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century, which covered a vast area of Alaska in ash.
One of the largest volcanic eruptions of the twentieth century, which caused a measurable global cooling.
The twin volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan near Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, erupt simultaneously and destroy the city.
The Soufrière Hills volcano on Montserrat awakens from a long dormancy and gradually destroys the capital Plymouth.
geological surveys installing extensive networks of seismometers, GPS stations and gas monitors around potential supervolcanoes such as Yellowstone and the Campi Flegrei to detect early signs of a mega-eruption
The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull spews an enormous ash cloud that grounds European airspace for weeks.
A large explosive eruption in the Chilean Andes spreads ash far across South America and the Southern Ocean.
A partial collapse of the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait causes a devastating, unannounced tsunami.
The underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai explodes with one of the most powerful blasts ever recorded and causes an ocean-wide tsunami.
The Toba supervolcano produced the largest known eruption of the past two million years, with an ash cloud that was found as far as East Africa and India. Some scientists link this eruption to a genetic bottleneck in humans, caused by years of global cooling and food shortages. Present-day Lake Toba now fills the enormous caldera created by the explosion.