SOME DISASTROUS VOLCANOES

SOME DISASTROUS VOLCANOES In the history of mankind, perhaps the most disastrous eruptions were those of Mt Krakatau, Mt Vesuvius, Mt Pelee, Mt St. Helens and
Mt Pinatubo.

The greatest volcanic explosion known to men is perhaps that of Mt. Krakatau in August 1883. Krakatau is a small volcanic island in the Sunda Straits, midway between Java and Sumatra. The 1883 explosion's intensity could be gauged from the fact that it could be heard in Australia, almost 3,000 miles away. Though Krakatau itself was not inhabited and nobody was killed by the lava flows, the vibration set up enormous waves over 100 feet high which drowned 36,000 people in the coastal districts of Indonesia.

Mt Vesuvius, standing 4,000 feet above the Bay of Naples, erupted violently on August 24, 79 AD. The City of Pompeii and the City of Herculaneum were the worst affected. Almost the entire population of the two cities was buried alive.
The eruption of Mt PeIee of the West Indies in May 1902 was the most catastrophic of modem times. St. Pierre, the capital of Martinique, lying on the path of the lava, was completely destroyed within minutes. The entire population of 30,000 was killed almost instantly.

Mt St. Helens in the United States erupted, after 123 years of inactivity, in 1980, blowing away the entire summit.
Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted violently in June 1991 after six centuries of dormancy.

Distribution of Volcanoes in the World Volcanoes are located in a fairly clearly-defined pattern around the world, closely related to regions that have been intensely folded or faulted. They occur along coastal mountain ranges, as off-shore islands and in the midst of oceans, but there are few in the interiors of continents. The greatest concentra­tion is probably that in the Circum-Pacific region, popu­larly termed the Pacific Ring of Fire. This region accounts for two-thirds of the world's volcanoes. It is said that there are almost 100 active volcanoes in the Philippines, 40 in the Andes, 35 in Japan, and more then 70 in Indonesia.

The Atlantic coasts have comparatively few active volcanoes but many dormant or extinct volcanoes. Volca­noes of the Mediterranean region are mainly associated with the Alpine folds, e.g., Vesuvius, Etna, Stromboli, etc. The Himalayas have no active volcano at all.

In Africa, some volcanoes are found along the East African Rift Valley, e.g., Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya, both probably extinct. The only active volcano of West Africa is Mt Cameroon.