Earth harbours hundreds of active volcanoes. When they erupt, they can change the climate of the entire planet. Indeed, they are one of Mother Nature’s deadliest phenomena. Here, we’ve ranked the deadliest eruptions in history.
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Mount Pelée (1902) Death toll: 30,000 |
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It’s considered the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. Krakatoa (1883) Death toll: 36,000 The eruption cast so much dust into the atmosphere, it cooled the entire globe by an average of 2.1 ºF. Mount Tambora (1815) Death toll: 90,000 The volcano literally blew its top off. |
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Huaynaputina (1600) Death toll: ~2 million It triggered the coldest Russian winter in 600 years. |
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Laki (1783) Death toll: Several million The eruption generated a toxic haze of hydrogen fluoride and sulphur dioxide that stretched from Iceland across Europe. |
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