Historic Volcanoes: Santorini, Vesuvius, Timanfaya, Tambora, Krakatoa, Pelée

1. UNIT7 The Earth’s dynamics HISTORIC VOLCANOES Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

2. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes Click on each volcano to find out more. Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

3. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The Santorini eruption • This eruption, which occurred between 1650 and 1500 BC, was the largest volcanic event in antiquity. • The Greek archipelago of Santorini is made up of the remains of a large island that was destroyed by this explosive eruption. When the volcano erupted, the island collapsed into the sea, forming a caldera with a number of small islands around it. • The eruption expelled huge amounts of volcanic materials into the atmosphere and the collapse of the island produced large tsunamis. • The eruption of the volcano had devastating consequences for the Minoan civilisation on the island of Crete and the tsunami wiped out entire settlements, hitting coastal areas the hardest. The climatic effects of the eruption were felt around the world, but especially in the eastern Mediterranean region, where changes in the climate resulted in failed harvests and famine. • Egyptian texts dating from this time describe how the sky was dark for months and that the sun could not be seen. It has been suggested that the myths of Atlantis and the Plagues of Egypt are based on this eruption. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

4. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The eruption of Mount Vesuvius • Mount Vesuvius, located in Naples, started to erupt on 24 August, in the year 79 AD. This was one of the volcano’s most violent eruptions. It buried the nearby cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. • Clouds of toxic gases and burning pyroclastic flows destroyed everything in their path. • Many residents took shelter in their homes, but the air soon became unbreathable. Many people died of suffocation or were buried by the ash expelled by the volcano. • Pompeii and Herculaneum remained buried, and were preserved, for centuries. Today they provide us with a unique insight into what cities were like at the time. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

5. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The Timanfaya eruption • The first eruption of the Timanfaya volcano in Lanzarote occurred on 1 September 1730. • There were a number of eruptions in the Canary Islands in the eighteenth century, but the Timanfaya volcano was active for six years. During this time it buried ten towns and covered most of southern Lanzarote with lava and ash. • The eruptions of Timanfaya released between three and five square kilometres of volcanic materials and shaped much of the island’s modern land relief. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

6. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The eruption of Mount Tambora • The eruption of Mount Tambora, located on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia, occurred in April 1815. It is sometimes called “the eruption of the millennium.” • The eruption was felt 5,000 kilometres away. Layers of ash from the volcano were up to three metres deep in Indonesia, with ash falling as far away as France. The eruption resulted huge rafts of uprooted trees, pyroclasts, ash and pumice forming, which affected sea travel for years after the eruption. • The climate was significantly altered due to the eruption: the year 1816 was called the “year without a summer,” with low temperatures resulting in failed harvests and famines. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

7. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The eruption of Krakatoa • On 20 May 1883, Krakatoa began a series of small eruptions, but residents did not recognise these eruptions as a warning: no one suspected that on 26 August, a deafening boom would mark the beginning of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history. • The eruption lasted a number of hours, culminating on 27 August, when a huge explosion blew most of the island to pieces. The sound produced by this explosion, considered the loudest noise ever heard on Earth, caused the few survivors within 40 kilometres of the volcano to go deaf. The volcanic materials expelled by the eruption reached altitudes of 80 kilometres and caused climatic changes that would be felt around the globe for years. • The eruption and the resulting tsunamis swept away hundreds of coastal villages in Indonesia and killed more than 36,000 people. None of the 3,000 people living on the island of Sebesi, located 13 kilometres from Krakatoa, survived the eruption. • Today, small eruptions are slowly creating a new volcanic cone in the caldera that was left by the 1883 eruption. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education

8. UNIT7 Historic volcanoes The eruption of Mount Pelée • On 8 May 1902, after showing signs of increased activity, Mount Pelée, located on the island of Martinique, began to erupt. • The eruption resulted in the formation of a pyroclastic flow of gases and ash with temperatures exceeding 1,000°C that moved towards the town of Saint-Pierre at over 670 kilometres per hour. • The pyroclastic flow killed most of Saint-Pierre’s 30,000 residents. • On 20 May, a second eruption destroyed what was left of Saint-Pierre. On 30 May, a final eruption caused another pyroclastic flow to form, killing 1,000 people in nearby settlements. Mount Pelée has been inactive since 1902. Go back to the start menu Natural Science 2. Secondary Education