DANGEROUS VOLCANOES

IN THE WORLD

A RE-ERUPTION OF 11 OF THE 1,500 ACTIVE

VOLCANOES IS LIKELY TO BE VERY
DEVASTATING, LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, AND
GLOBALLY

Dr. Walter Hays,

Global Alliance For
Disaster Reduction
GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION OF 1,500
ACTIVE VOLCANOES
 11 VOLCANOES THE WORLD
HOPES WILL NOT ERUPT AGAIN

• Eyjafjallajökull • Vesuvius
and Katla • Pinatubo
(ICELAND)
• Mount Rainier
• Chaiten
• Nevada del Ruiz
• Krakatau
• Popocatepl
• Merapi
• Nyirangongo
(CONGO)
WHAT MAKES A VOLCANO
ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS
• Location and a
large explosivity
index (VEI)
combine to make
some volcanoes
especially
dangerous.
LOCATION NEAR CITIES MAKES SOME
VOLCANOES VERY DANGEROUS

An eruption at some locations

is certain to be devastating to
people, their property, their
health, the community infra-
structure, the environment, and
the economy.
The Eyjafjallajökull and Katla
Volcanoes: Southern Iceland
 EUROPEAN AIR TRAFFIC
DISRUPTED: APRIL 15, 2010
 The 800-meter fissure caused by
the first eruption, which grew to 1.2
km in the second eruption, could be
heading towards the Myrdalsjokall
glacier, which sits atop the powerful
Katla volcano
 An eruption of the Katla
volcano, located under the
massive Myrdalsjokull icecap,
could cause disastrous local
flooding, explosive blasts, and
eruption clouds that would
disrupt air traffic between
Europe and the USA.
VOLCANO CHAITEN ERUPTS:
CHILE: MAY 3, 2008
CHAITEN ERUPTED AFTER 8,000-
10,000 YEAR DORMANCY

•THE 1,200 M (3,550 FT) VOLCANO

SENT ASH HIGH INTO THE SKY.
• “VOLCANIC EARTHQUAKES
WERE TRIGGERED IN THE AREA.
•1,500 RESIDENTS EVACUATED,
MOSTLY BY BOAT
 Krakatau
• 26-27 August, 1883
• The big one!

http://www.geology.sdsu.edu/how_volcanoes_work/Krakatau.html
The 1883 Krakatoa Eruption
!

Anak Krakatoa—Son of Krakatoa

MOUNT MERAPI:
INDONESIA
INDONESIA’S MOUNT MERAPI
ERUPTED IN MAY & JUNE, 2006
• Mount Merapi
emitted lava,
debris, and a
pyroclastic flow
on May 15, but
this one was
not devastating.
 EXPLOSIVENESS OF JUNE 8
ERUPTION SENT 15,000 FLEEING
MOUNT VESUVIUS: ITALY; A
THREAT TO NAPLES
 Mount Somma-Vesuvius
• Location: Bay
Naples, east of the
city of Naples, Italy
• Last eruption:
March, 1944
MOUNT FUJI: JAPAN; A THREAT
TO TOKYO
MT. PINATUBO: THE PHILIPPINES;
JUNE 15, 1991
 Pinatubo was the second largest
eruption of the 20th century and the
largest to impact a densely
populated area.
MOUNT RAINIER: THREAT TO
WASHINGTON (USA)
MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR
SIMULATION
MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR
SIMULATION
MOUNT RAINIER: LAHAR
SIMULATION
NEVADA DEL RUIZ:
COLOMBIA; A 1988 DISASTER
The lahar generated by the eruption
of Nevada del Ruiz buried 25,000
people in the city of Armero as they
slept.
POPOCATEPL: MEXICO; A
THREAT TO MEXICO CITY
Africa's most active
volcano.
NYIRANGONGO: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF CONGO; A THREAT TO GOMA
ERUPTION OF NYIRANGONGO:
JANUARY 2, 2010
 WARNING:
Don’t forget that the
other 1490 active
volcanoes can erupt
anytime, also.