The World’s Worst Volcanic Eruptions

The World’s Worst Volcanic Eruptions As Measured by Death Toll
This list of the world’s worst volcanic eruptions includes only those whose death toll can be reasonably documented. The death toll from some of the worst eruptions in history can only be guessed. The eruption of Santorini in Greece in 1650 BC destroyed competely destroyed entire civilizations. Scientist also theorize that an eruption of Tuba around 75,000 years ago caused a volcanic winter that came close to wiping out mankind.
1. Mt. Tambora, Indonesia April 10 - 15, 1816 Death Toll: 92,000
The eruption of Tambora killed an estimated 92,000 people, including 10,000 from explosion and ash fall, and 82,000 from other related causes.
The concussion from the explosion was felt as far as a thousand miles away. Mt. Tambora, which was more than 13,000 feet tall before the explosion was reduced to 9,000 feet after ejecting more than 93 cubic miles of debris into the atmosphere.
The effects of the eruption were felt worldwide: 1816 became known as the “year without a summer” because of the volcanic ash in the atmosphere that lowered worldwide temperatures. It snowed in New England that June, and crop failures were common throughout Northern Europe and North America. As many as 100,000 additional deaths from starvation in these areas are thought to be traced to the eruption.
2. Mt. Pelee, West Indies April 25 - May 8, 1902 Death Toll: 40,000
Thought to be dormant, Mt. Pelee began a series of eruptions on April 25, 1902. The primary eruption, on May 8 completely destroyed the city of St. Pierre, killing 25,000. The only survivors were a man held in a prison cell, and a man who lived on the outskirts of the town. Several ships also were destroyed with all hands.
3. Mt. Krakatoa, Indonesia August 26 - 28, 1883 Death Toll: 36,000
The August 1883 of Mt. Krakatoa (Krakatua) destroyed 2/3 of the island, ejecting more than six cubic miles of debris into the atmosphere. The sound of the explosion was the loudest ever documented, and was heard as far away as Australia.
Interestingly, it’s probable that no one died in the initial explosion. The casualties all came from the resulting tsunami.
4. Nevado del Ruiz, Columbia November 13, 1985 Death Toll: 23,000
A small eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano melted part of the volcano’s ice cap, creating an enormous mudslide that buried the city of Armero, killing 23,000.
5. Mt. Unzen, Japan 1792 Death Toll: 12,000 - 15,000
The eruption of Mt. Unzen was followed by an earthquake, which collapsed the east flank of the dome. The resulting avalance created a tsuanami which killed 12,000 to 15,000 in nearby towns.
6. Mt. Vesuvius, Italy April 24, AD 79 Death Toll: 10,000+
In one of the most famous eruptions of all time, Mt. Vesuvius erupted and completely destroyed the Roman towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The eruption, which is said to have lasted 19 hours, buried Pompeii in ten feet of volcanic ash. The intense heat—perhaps as much as 750 degrees—carbonized much of the organic material in the area. Many of the victims have been found with the tops of their heads missing—their brains having boiled and exploded.
7. The Laki Volcanic System, Iceland June 8, 1783 - February 1784 Death Toll: 9350
Nearly a year of constant eruptions created a dusty volcanic haze that created massive food shortages. Iceland suffered 9,350 deaths mostly due to starvation.
8. Mt. Vesuvius, Italy December 1631 Death Toll: 6,000
The notorious Mt. Vesuvius has erupted more than a dozen times since it destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The 1631 eruption killed as many as 6,000 people when lava flows consumed many of the surrounding towns. Boiling water ejected from the volcanos added to the destruction.
9. Mt. Kelut, Indonesia May 19, 1919 Death Toll: 5,110
Most of the casualties apparently were the result of mudslides.
10. Mt. Galunggung, Java, Indonesia 1882 Death Toll: 4,011

The Killing Fields

The Killing Fields were a number of sites in Cambodia where large numbers of people were killed and buried by the Communist regime Khmer Rouge, which had ruled the country since 1975. The massacres ended in 1979, when Communist Vietnam invaded the country, which at that time was officially called Democratic Kampuchea, and toppled the Khmer Rouge regime. Estimates of the number of dead range from 1.7 to 2.3 million out of a population of around 7 million.[1]

The Khmer Rouge judicial process, for minor or political crimes, began with a warning from the Angkar, the government of Cambodia under the regime. People receiving more than two warnings were sent for "re-education", which meant near-certain death. People were often encouraged to confess to Angkar their "pre-revolutionary lifestyles and crimes" (which usually included some kind of free-market activity, or having had contact with a foreign source, such as a US missionary, or international relief or government agency, or contact with any foreigner or with the outside world at all), being told that Angkar would forgive them and "wipe the slate clean". This meant being taken away to a place such as Tuol Sleng or Choeung Ek for torture and/or execution.

The executed were buried in mass graves. In order to save ammunition, executions were often carried out using hammers, axe handles, spades or sharpened bamboo sticks. Some victims were required to dig their own graves; their weakness often meant that they were unable to dig very deep. The soldiers who carried out the executions were mostly young men or women from peasant families.

The Khmer Rouge regime arrested and eventually executed almost everyone suspected of connections with the former government or with foreign governments, as well as professionals and intellectuals. Ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Chams (Muslim Cambodians), Cambodian Christians, and the Buddhist monkhood were the demographic targets of persecution.

The best known of the Killing Fields is Choeung Ek. Today, it is the site of a Buddhist memorial to the terror, and Tuol Sleng has a museum commemorating the genocide. A 1984 motion picture, The Killing Fields, tells the story of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran, played by Cambodian actor Haing S. Ngor, and his journey to escape the death camps.

Ball's Pyramid

Ball's Pyramid is an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera that formed about 7 million years ago. Ball's Pyramid is 20 km (13 miles) southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. It is 562 m high, while measuring only 200 m across.

Ball's Pyramid is located at 31°45′21″S, 159°15′02″E. It is part of the Lord Howe Island Marine Park.

Ball's Pyramid has a few satellite islets. Observatory Rock and Wheatsheaf Islet lie about 800 m WNW and 800 m WSW, respectively, of the western extremity of Ball's Pyramid. Southeast Rock is a pinnacle located about 3.5 km southeast of Ball's Pyramid. Like Lord Howe Island and the Lord Howe seamount chain, Ball's Pyramid is based on the Lord Howe Rise, part of the submerged continent of Zealandia.

History
The pyramid was named after Lieutenant Henry Ball who discovered it in 1788 at the same time he discovered Lord Howe Island (see the history section of that article). The first person to go ashore is believed to have been Henry Wilkinson in 1882, who was a geologist at the New South Wales Department of Mines.

The first successful climb to the summit was made on 14 February 1965 by a team of climbers from the Sydney Rock Climbing Club, consisting of Bryden Allen, John Davis, Jack Pettigrew and David Witham.[1]

There had been an earlier attempt in 1964 by another Sydney team that included adventurer Dick Smith (then just 20 years old) and other members of the Scouting movement. They were forced to turn back on their fifth day running short of food and water. In 1979 Smith returned to the pyramid, together with climbers John Worrall and Hugh Ward, and they successfully reached the summit. At the top they unfurled a flag of New South Wales provided to them by Premier Neville Wran and declared the island Australian territory (a formality which it seems had not previously been done).

Climbing was banned in 1982 under amendments to the Lord Howe Island Act, and in 1986 all access to the island was banned by the Lord Howe Island Board. In 1990 the policy changed to allow some climbing under strict conditions, which in recent years has required an application to the relevant state Minister (e.g.[2]).

In 2000/2001 the Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) insect was found living on the pyramid.[3] (On the unsuccessful 1964 climb, Dave Roots had brought back a photograph of the insect, which the Australian Museum told him they thought was extinct.)

Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan)

As we know, the ancient Chinese people selected five great mountains in the country, that is, Mount Taishan, Mount Hengshan(south), Mount Huashan, Mount Songshan and Mount Hengshan(north). But whoever chose the mountains must have never seen Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountains), because as a Chinese saying goes, "After returning from Mount Huangshan, there is no need to see other mountains."

Located in the south of Anhui Province. Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountain) has 72 peaks, 24 streams, three waterfalls and two lakes Lotus Peak, Mount Huangshan's highest, is 1,864m above sea level. The four wonders of Mount Huangshan are strangely shaped pines, grotesque rocks, cloud seas, and hot springs. The beauty of Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountain) is so enchanting and unique that countless painters and poets have visited Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountain) to find inspiration. The Huangshan School of painting originated in the later years of the Ming Dynasty from the inspiration of Mount Huangshan's precipitous peaks. The poems and paintings about Mount Huangshan left by these artists and men of letters add cultural charm to the great mountain.

The pines with their fascinating shapes, the rocks with their strange contours, the sea of mist and clouds, and the hot springs -- these are the four wonders of Huangshan. Many of the pines on the mountain have their roots deep in rock crevices; the famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine is representative of these hardy trees. The temperature of the mountain's hot spring-water is around 42°C throughout the year. Clear and sweet, the water is ideal for drinking and bathing.

Tourists should not miss a visit to North Sea, (Beihai), West Sea (Xihai), Celestial Capital (Tiandu) Peak, Jade Screen (Yuping) Tower, and Cloud Valley (Yungu) Temple, which are among the prettiest sights on Mount Huangshan. Cool (Qingliang) Terrace is the best place for watching the sunrise and the clouds. Huangshan's charm has drawn many distinguished travelers, including poets, writers, and painters of various dynasties, and tourists continue to flock to this legendary mountain all the year round.

The most famous scenic spots of Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountain) include Lotus Peak, the Pock That Flew from Afar, and the Welcoming Guests Pine. At present, Mt. Huangshan(Yellow Mountain) is a national park and is on UNESCO's World Heritage List.