Here are some of the worst volcanic eruptions of all time. . . . . . .

Mt. Vesuvius - 0079

In 79 CE, Mt.Vesuvius erupted and ruined both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Mt. Vesuvius's eruption caught everybody by supprise, as it had been dormant for over 300 years. This shows how unpredictible volcanoes can be.

Taupo - 0186

In 186 CE, Taubo erupted. Its eruption was and is considered one of the largest eruptions in recorded history. It occured in northern New Zeland, and to this date is considered active ( even though it has not erupted for 1816 years )

Lakagigar - 1783

In 1783 CE, Lakagigar erupted. It is recorded as not having the largest explosion, but the most lava erupted at one time, in history! The lava covered over 220 square MILES. Not only did it have a lot of lava, but it also spewed a lot of toxic gasses, and great quantities of ash. The eruption effected the weather, making it a cooler sumer, and made the places nearby have a blue haze for a while.

Tambora - 1815

In 1815 CE, Tambora erupted. It did not have the most lava, or the biggest explosion, but instead had the most damage. It had an extremely damaging explosion. Over 10,000 people died on the spot, and 82,000 after the event from after effects. A grand total of almost 100,000 people!

Mt. Peelee - 1902

'In 1902 CE, Mt. Peelee erupted. It caught everyone by supprise and killed everyone almost instantly. Over 28,000 people died in less than 45 seconds!!! The one and only survivor was a prisoner in a small jail cell.

Mt. St. Hellens - 1980

In 1980 CE, Mt. St. Hellens erupted. It was dormant for 123 years. It slowly gave warnings of an impending eruption, then blew its top. It caused 234 square miles of damage, ruined tons of trees, and caused mudslides and floods. People that saw the eruption from 10 miles away could not hear a sound as the ash clouds muffled all the sound!

El chichon - 1982

In 1982 CE, El chichon erupted. It was a large eruption with massive quantities of ash that were shot high into the air. Because of all the ash, it is said to litterally have remained dark for over 44 hours!

Mt. Pinatubo - 1991

Mt. Pintubo was dormant for over 600 years, but then erupted. Ash was shot high into the air, and was blown to many different places. People looked through the ash and found many quartz crystals made by the lava, and they thought they were diamonds.

Rabaul - 1994

Rabaul was and still is a very active volcano in New Guinea. It was the sixth time that it errupted in the past 200 years!! People were evacuated and not many people died. The interesting part is that the city was covered in about 3 FEET of ashes (one meter).

More information about how/why volcanoes erupt can be found [here]

More information about what a volcano is can be found [here]

Volcano links can be found [here]

More volcano pictures can be found [here]