List of largest volcanic eruptions facts for kids

The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo was a huge event. But it was still much smaller than the giant eruptions on this list.

When a volcanic eruption happens, hot liquid rock called lava, rocks, ash, and different gases shoot out from a volcano's opening or a crack in the ground. Most eruptions are only dangerous to the areas right around them. But the biggest eruptions on Earth can affect a whole region or even the entire planet! Some have even changed the climate and led to mass extinctions, which is when many types of plants and animals die out.

Volcanic eruptions are usually one of two types:

• Explosive eruptions are sudden blasts of rock and ash.
• Effusive eruptions are calmer flows of lava.

We have separate lists for each type below. There have probably been many more giant eruptions in Earth's past than we know about. But over time, things like erosion (wearing away of rock) and plate tectonics (the movement of Earth's crust) have erased much of the evidence. So, scientists can't always figure out how big ancient eruptions were. Even for the eruptions listed here, the estimated amounts of rock and lava can be a bit uncertain.

Explosive Eruptions: Big Blasts!

In explosive eruptions, the eruption happens because pressure builds up very quickly. This often involves gas that was trapped inside the magma (melted rock under the Earth's surface) suddenly exploding. The most famous and destructive eruptions in history are usually this type. An eruption can be a single blast, or a series of blasts over days, weeks, or even months.

Explosive eruptions usually involve thick, sticky magma. This magma is often rich in silica and contains a lot of trapped gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide. The main things that come out are pyroclastic materials, which are bits of rock, ash, and gas. These often form a type of rock called tuff. Giant eruptions, like the one at Lake Toba 74,000 years ago (which released at least 2,800 cubic kilometers of material), or the Yellowstone eruption 620,000 years ago (around 1,000 cubic kilometers), happen somewhere in the world every 50,000 to 100,000 years.

Effusive Eruptions: Gentle Flows

An effusive eruption of lava from Krafla, Iceland.

Effusive eruptions are different because they involve a relatively calm and steady flow of lava, instead of big explosions. These eruptions can go on for many years or even decades. They produce huge, runny lava flows made of mafic lava, which is rich in magnesium and iron.

For example, Kīlauea volcano on Hawaiʻi erupted almost continuously from 1983 to 2018. It produced about 2.7 cubic kilometers of lava, covering more than 100 square kilometers. Even though they look calmer, effusive eruptions can be just as dangerous as explosive ones. One of the biggest effusive eruptions in history happened in Iceland between 1783 and 1784. This was the eruption of Laki. It produced about 15 cubic kilometers of lava and sadly killed one-fifth of Iceland's population. The changes it caused to the climate might have also led to millions of deaths in other parts of the world.

Even larger were the Icelandic eruptions of Katla (the Eldgjá eruption) around 934 AD, which produced 18 cubic kilometers of lava. The Þjórsárhraun eruption of Bárðarbunga around 6700 BC was even bigger, with 25 cubic kilometers of lava. This last one is the largest effusive eruption in the last 10,000 years! The lava fields from these eruptions are huge: Laki's covered 565 square kilometers, Eldgjá's covered 700 square kilometers, and Þjórsárhraun's covered 950 square kilometers.

Large Igneous Provinces: Giant Volcanic Areas

This map shows the huge area covered by the Siberian Traps in Russia.

Sometimes, there are periods of super active volcanism in areas called large igneous provinces. These areas have produced massive oceanic plateaus (flat areas on the ocean floor) and flood basalts (huge outpourings of lava on land). These provinces can include hundreds of very large eruptions. Together, they can produce millions of cubic kilometers of lava!

No large flood basalt eruptions have happened in human history. The most recent ones occurred over 10 million years ago. These giant volcanic events are often linked to times when supercontinents (huge landmasses like Pangea) broke apart. They might have also contributed to several mass extinctions.

Many large igneous provinces haven't been studied enough to figure out the size of their individual eruptions. Also, many are not preserved well enough to make this possible. Because of this, many of the eruptions listed above come from just two large igneous provinces: the Paraná and Etendeka traps and the Columbia River Basalt Group. The Columbia River Basalt Group is the most recent large igneous province, and also one of the smallest. The list below gives you an idea of how many more huge eruptions might be missing from the lists above.

See also

• Extinction event
• List of flood basalt provinces
• List of large Holocene volcanic eruptions
• List of volcanic eruptions in Iceland
• List of impact craters on Earth
• Lists of earthquakes
• Supervolcano § Massive explosive eruptions
• Types of volcanic eruptions