Mount Pinatubo Eruption The Volcanic Eruption of 1991 that Cooled the Planet

The Event :In June 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century* took place on the
island of Luzon in the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of the capital city Manila.

Location: Mount Pinatubo is part of a chain of composite volcanoes along the Luzon arc on the west coast
of the island (area map). The arc of volcanoes is due to the subduction of the Manila trench to the west.
The volcano experienced major eruptions approximately 500, 3000, and 5500 years ago.

Approximately 30,000 people lived on the flanks

of the volcano prior to the disaster.

The Run up:

1. Fresh activity was signalled by big earthquakes

occurring (7.8 on the Richter Scale).
2. Villages around Mount Pinatubo began feeling
earthquakes and vulcanologists began to study
the mountain. Small explosions from vents
dusted local villages with ash.
3. The first evacuations of 5,000 people were
ordered later that month.
4. Earthquakes and explosions continued and a
Level 3 alert was issued for two weeks due to
the possibility of a major eruption.
5. The formation of a lava dome led to the
warning of a Level 5 alert indicating an
eruption in progress.
6. An evacuation area 20 kilometers (12.4 miles)
away from the volcano was established and
25,000 people were evacuated
7. The Clark Air Base, a U.S. military installation
near the volcano, was evacuated. The 18,000
personnel and their families were transported
to Subic Bay Naval Station and most were
returned to the United States.
8. On June 12, the danger radius was extended
to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the volcano
resulting in the total evacuation of 58,000
people.
9. On June 15, the climatic eruption of Mount
Pinatubo began at 1:42 p.m. local time. The
eruption lasted for nine hours and caused
numerous large earthquakes due to the
collapse of the summit of Mount Pinatubo

Up to 800 people were killed and 100,000 became

homeless following the eruptions, which climaxed with
nine hours of eruption on June 15, 1991. On June 15,
millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into
the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the
temperature worldwide over the next few years.

.
 and the creation of a caldera. The caldera
reduced the peak from 1745 meters (5725
feet) to 1485 meters (4872 feet) high is 2.5
kilometers (1.5 miles) in diameter.

Unfortunately, at the time of the eruption

Tropical Storm Yunya was passing 75 km
(47 miles) to the northeast of Mount
Pinatubo, causing a large amount of rainfall
in the region. The ash that was ejected from
the volcano mixed with the water vapor in
the air to cause a rainfall of tephra that fell
across almost the entire island of Luzon. The
greatest thickness of ash deposited 33
centimeters (13 inches) approximately 10.5
km (6.5 mi) southwest of the volcano. There was 10 cm of ash covering an area of 2000 km2 (772 square
miles). Most of the 200 to 800 people (accounts vary) who died during the eruption died due to the weight
of the ash collapsing roofs and killing to occupants. Had Tropical Storm Yunya not been nearby, the death
toll from the volcano would have been much lower.

In addition to the ash, Mount Pinatubo ejected between 15 and 30 million tons of sulfur dioxide gas. Sulfur
dioxide in the atmosphere mixes with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to become sulfuric acid, a
greenhouse gas that causes ozone depletion. Over 90% of the material released from the volcano was
ejected during the nine hour eruption of June 15.

The eruption plume of Mount Pinatubo's various gasses and ash reached high into the atmosphere within
two hours of the eruption, attaining an altitude of 34 km (21 miles) high and over 400 km (250 miles)
wide. This eruption was the largest disturbance of the stratosphere since the eruption of Krakatau in 1883
(but ten times larger than Mount St. Helens in 1980). The aerosol cloud spread around the earth in two
weeks and covered the planet within a year. During 1992 and 1993, the Ozone hole over Antarctica
reached an unprecedented size.

The cloud over the earth reduced global temperatures. In 1992 and 1993, the average temperature in the
Northern Hemisphere was reduced 0.5 to 0.6°C and the entire planet was cooled 0.4 to 0.5°C. The
maximum reduction in global temperature occurred in August 1992 with a reduction of 0.73°C. The
eruption is believed to have influenced such events as 1993 floods along the Mississippi river and the
drought in the Sahel region of Africa. The United States experienced its third coldest and third wettest
summer in 77 years during 1992.

Overall, the cooling effects of Mount Pinatubo's eruption were greater than those of the El Niño that was
taking place at the time or of the greenhouse gas warming of the planet. Remarkable sunrises and sunsets
were visible around the globe in the years following the eruption.

The human impacts of the disaster are staggering. In addition to the up to 800 people who lost their lives,
there was almost one half of a billion dollars in property and economic damage. The economy of central
Luzon was horribly disrupted. In 1991, the volcano destroyed 4,979 homes and damaged another 70,257.
The following year 3,281 homes were destroyed and 3,137 were damaged. Damage following the eruption
was usually caused by lahars - rain-induced torrents of volcanic debris that killed people and animals and
buried homes in the months after the eruption. Additionally, a 1992 eruption in August 1992 killed 72
people.

The United States military never returned to Clark Air Base, turning over the damaged base to the
Philippine government on November 26, 1991. Today, the region continues to rebuild and recover from the
disaster.