Eruptions that shook the world
Eruption event | Eruption size* | Extreme claims made | |
---|---|---|---|
Deccan Traps, 65.5 million years ago (India) | (11.6) 1.5 million km3 lava | Mass extinction (including dinosaurs) | |
East African Rift Valley, repeated eruptions over last millions of years | 7–8 | Migrations of archaic and modern humans | |
Toba, 73,000 years ago (Sumatra) | 8.8 | Severe global climate change and near extinction of Homo sapiens | |
Campanian Ignimbrite, 39,300 years ago (Italy) | 7.4–7.7 | Acceleration of the European Palaeolithic Transition, demise of the Neanderthals | |
Mystery eruption, 17,000 years ago | ? | Extinction of Homo floresiensis (‘the Hobbit’) | |
Laacher See, 13,000 years ago (Germany) | 6.2 | Migration & cultural de-evolution of populations | |
Kikai, c. 5480 BCE (Japan) | 7 | Abandonment of southern Kyushu and cultural replacement | |
Witori & Dakataua, repeated eruptions over last thousands of years (Papua New Guinea) | 5.8–6.5 | Migrations of Lapita people; spectrum of response from adaptation to continuity | |
Santorini, c. 1640 BCE (Greece) | 7.2 | Decline of Minoan civilisation | |
Arenal, last thousands of years (Costa Rica) | ~4 | Adaptation & continuity | |
Popocatépetl, c. 50 CE (México) | 5.3 | Rise of Teotihuacán | |
Mystery eruption (?Ilopango), 536 CE | 7 (if Ilopango) | Justinian plague, fall of Teotihuacán | |
Mystery eruption, 1258 CE | ?7–8 | Famine & pestilence in Europe, religious fervour | |
Laki, 1783–4 (Iceland) | 6.6 | Famine, heat wave, severe cold, flooding, air pollution, crop damage | |
Tambora, 1815 (Indonesia) | 6.9 | Famine, poor harvests, social unrest in Europe, rise of extremism and introduction of social reforms in Europe | |
?Yellowstone, 2XXX (USA) | ?8.8 | Transfer of human civilisation to a safer place in the solar system… |
*A logarithmic scale based on the mass of lava/ash/pumice erupted