NOVA Online | Deadly Shadow of Vesuvius | The World's Deadliest Volcanoes (2)

Ready to rate the eruption you just saw? Here's what to do:

To learn more about the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI), click on each column heading.
Then read a description of the eruption you saw and give it a VEI number.

Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)
Description	Volume of Ejected Material	Plume Height	Eruption Type	Duration	Total Eruptions Given this VEI	Example	VEI
Non- Explosive	variable	<100m	Hawaiian	variable	699	Kilauea (1983 to present)	0
Small	<.001 km³	100- 1000m	Hawaiian/ Strombolian	<1 hr	845	Nyiragongo (1982)	1
Moderate	.001-.01 km³	1-5km	Strombolian/ Vulcanian	1-6 hrs	3477	Colima (1991)	2
Moderate/ Large	.01-.1 km³	3-15km	Vulcanian/ Plinian	1-12 hrs.	869	Galeras (1924)	3
Large	.1-1 km³	10-25km	Vulcanian/ Plinian	1-12 hrs.	278	Sakura-Jima (1914)	4
Very Large	1-10 km³	>25 km	Plinian/ Ultra-Plinian	6-12 hrs.	84	Villarrica (1810)	5
Very Large	10-100 km³	>25 km	Plinian/ Ultra-Plinian	>12 hrs.	39	Vesuvius (79 AD)	6
Very Large	100-1000 km³	>25 km	Ultra-Plinian	>12 hrs.	4	Tambora (1812)	7
Very Large	>1,000 km³	>25 km	Ultra-Plinian	>12 hrs.	0	Yellowstone Caldera (2 million years ago)	8