Biggest volcanic eruptions in the last 10 years as Iceland town faces devastation
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Lava flows from an eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 Iceland is highly susceptible to natural disasters because it lies on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge – a divergent plate boundary where the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate are moving away from each other, leading to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. As Iceland waits in trepidation for the looming volcanic eruption, we take a look at some of the biggest volcanic eruptions in the last decade: 2022: Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Located in the southern Pacific Ocean, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption in January 2022 saw a plume of rock and ash shoot a staggering 58km high into the sky. A plume of steam shoots up from Philippines’ Taal Volcano, which saw a devastating eruption on 12 January 2020 2018: Anak Krakatau The volcanic island of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia saw an eruption on 22 December 2018 which caused a deadly tsunami, with waves surging up to five meters in height. Anak Krakatau island erupted on 22 December 2018 triggering a deadly tsunami 2018: Volcán de Fuego The active volcano in Guatemala saw its most powerful eruption on 3 June 2018 since 1974, killing 201 people according to ReliefWeb.