These are some of the most famous — and most powerful — volcanic eruptions in history. Each one taught people something new about how to stay safe!
🏛️ Mount Vesuvius, Italy (79 AD)
The most famous eruption in history! Mount Vesuvius exploded and buried the Roman city of Pompeii under metres of ash and rock. The ash preserved the city so well that when scientists dug it up nearly 1,700 years later, they found houses, paintings, loaves of bread, and even the shapes of people, frozen in time.
💥 Krakatoa, Indonesia (1883)
Krakatoa exploded with one of the loudest sounds ever heard in history — people heard it clearly from 4,800 kilometres away, like hearing a sound from another country! The explosion sent ash 80 kilometres into the sky and caused giant tsunamis across the Indian Ocean.
🇺🇸 Mount St. Helens, USA (1980)
After two months of earthquakes, the whole north side of Mount St. Helens slid away in the largest landslide ever recorded, and the volcano blasted sideways! The eruption blew down enough trees to build hundreds of thousands of houses, and ash fell in 11 states.
Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupting in March 1944, photographed by a soldier during World War II. See source ↓
📚 Picture Sources
- Photo 1 — Mount Vesuvius erupting, March 1944 (U.S. Army photo, public domain). From Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vesuvius_eruption_1944.jpg
