Volcanoes at Night

From the catastrophic eruption of Thera around 1600 BC — which may have contributed to the collapse of Minoan civilization — to the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo that cooled the global climate for two years, volcanic events have shaped human history in ways both dramatic and subtle. This visualization maps over 600 significant eruptions from 4360 BC to the present.

Each point represents an eruption that meets at least one threshold: it caused fatalities, caused significant material damage, reached a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6 or greater, generated a tsunami, or triggered a significant earthquake. Explore by region, by period, or by magnitude to see patterns in where and when the Earth's most powerful eruptions occur.

Dataset

Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database, maintained by the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC). Released under the Open Data Commons Public Domain Dedication and License (PDDL).

National Geophysical Data Center / World Data Service (NGDC/WDS): NCEI/WDS Global Significant Volcanic Eruptions Database. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.7289/V5JW8BSH. Access date: 13/11/2025. ngdc.noaa.gov