My Son's top three Volcano Eruptions

Mount Saint Helens

I asked my son to describe the Mount Saint Helens eruption:

"I know that it blew a hole, it blew its side off, well it just blew, blew, blew its side. All the trees were knocked down but, some survived, plinian, super strong blast!"

That was his description of the Mount Saint Helens eruption that occurred at 8:32 AM on May 18, 1980. For those who know nothing about volcanos, like me, until my three year insisted on learning about them, plinian is a type of eruption.

To learn more about this eruption from an adult from Live Science

Krakatoa

Then I asked him to describe Krakatoa:

"So it has some magma and when the magma got to the top it exploded and then it left a half mile hole in the ocean floor deep. I can't guess what kind of eruption on an island in the ocean, what state is it in?"

This volcano is in Indonesia on an island named Krakatoa. I haven't found anyone else talking about a half of mile hole that was created on the ocean floor, but the island did get quite a bit smaller because of the volcano's explosive eruption. Read More. It should also be noted that the sound of the eruption might have been the loudest in human history. Sound so Loud...

Mount Tambora

Finally I asked him to describe Mount Vesuvius (Pompeii) , but he told me he wanted to talk about Tambora instead:

"So it was a super colossal and it didn't blow its side it just blew its crater, in Indonesia, Dad, I want to be done working on the website"

Well, that didn't last as long as I anticipated, usually the boy goes on and on about volcanos, but I guess when your parents ask you to do something it just isn't as fun anymore. Anyway, the Mount Tambora Eruption of 1815 was one of the most powerful in recorded history. It released so much debris into the atmosphere, that it was said 1816 didn't have a summer. There are some descriptions from New England where the wash on the line to dry was frozen stiff in July!