Mémoire du Globe

Home › All disasters › Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

Volcano

Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

15 June 1991 Luzon island · Philippines

Eruption of Mount Pinatubo
Image: Lemuel Salibio · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
847Deaths
Not quantifiedDisplaced / homeless
Not quantifiedEstimated cost

The second-largest eruption of the 20th century. Accurate scientific forecasts allow tens of thousands of people to be evacuated before the climax, probably saving thousands of lives.

Consequences

Human consequences

Tens of thousands of people evacuated; Aeta communities lose their ancestral lands.

Environmental consequences

About 15 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide injected into the stratosphere cool the planet by about 0.5 °C in 1992.

Economic consequences

Lahars destroy roads, rice fields and homes for years.

Political consequences

The United States abandons Clark Air Base, buried under ash.

Further reading

Similar disasters

In the rankings : The deadliest volcanic eruptions No. 8

Explore it on the 3D globe. See this disaster among 88 of the major disasters in history, from Pompeii to the present day, with its spread, its timeline and comparable events.

See it on the globe

The Mémoire du Globe letter

At most once a month: upcoming anniversaries, new pages and a quiz. Free, no ads.