Volcanic eruptions of VEI 5 and above since 1900

Map of 10 locations · Worldwide

A historical run of the largest explosive eruptions recorded since 1900, each pinned at the volcano's summit as the catalogue gives it. The record behind them ranges from contemporary newspaper and wire accounts to park service and survey fieldwork, caldera mapping and tephra studies carried out long after the ash settled. What they share is scale: columns into the stratosphere, collapsed summits, ash carried across continents and, in several cases, waves and fallout reaching far beyond the vent.

Places in this collection

  • Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, 2021 — The submarine volcano in the Tongan archipelago, 65 km north of the main island of Tongatapu, began erupting on 20 December 2021 after lyin…
  • Puyehue-Cordón Caulle, 2011 — The eruption broke out from the Cordón Caulle fissure on Saturday 4 June after 51 years of inactivity, throwing out pumice stones and a clo…
  • Cerro Hudson, 1991 — The Chilean volcano erupted in two separate, partially sub-glacial phreato-plinian cycles, the first beginning at 18:20 CLT on 8 August and…
  • Pinatubo, 1991 — The andesitic island arc volcano on southern Luzon in the Philippines entered activity in April, and on 15 June a cataclysmic eruption bega…
  • El Chichón, 1982 — Late in the evening of 28 March the volcano in southeastern Mexico produced a tremendous explosion that sent a column of ash and gases 10 m…
  • The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens — Noticeable volcanic activity began on 20 March 1980 with a series of tremors centred just beneath the north flank. At 8:32 a.m. PDT on 18 M…
  • Agung, 1963 — Earthquakes began to be felt in Bali on 16 February, not strong enough to cause damage, and explosive activity started two days later, mino…
  • Novarupta, 1912 — The eruption broke out from a new vent on 6 June, and the plinian column jetted skyward with little interruption for 60 hours. Hot ash fill…
  • Ksudach, 1907 — The explosive sequence of on or around 28 March fell into four phases, the first of which opened the vent and spread about 0.02 km3 of pyro…
  • Santa María, 1902 — Slight earthquakes were felt on 24 October, and the volcano began discharging steam that afternoon before rumbling noises were heard nearby…

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