The second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century, today 15 years ago

On this day 07 June 1991, the second largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century took place on the island of Luzon, northwest of the capital city Manila the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers (55 miles). There were 800 people killed and 100,000 became homeless. 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.




How it happen? 
In July 1990 there was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred 100 kilometers northeast of the Pinatubo region, determined to be a result of the reawakening of Mount Pinatubo. In March 1991, villagers around there began feeling earthquakes and vulcanologists began to study the mountain. (Approximately 30,000 people lived on the flanks of the volcano prior to the disaster.) On April 2, small explosions from vents dusted local villages with ash. The first evacuations of 5,000 people were ordered later that month. Earthquakes and explosions continued. On June 5, a Level 3 alert was issued for two weeks due to the possibility of a major eruption. The extrusion of a lava dome on June 7 led to the issuance of a Level 5 alert on June 9, indicating an eruption in progress. An evacuation area 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away from the volcano was established and 25,000 people were evacuated.

**The largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century was the 1912 eruption of Katmai-Novarupta (Alaska).