The recent eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland were a stark reminder of nature’s ability to bring human activity to an abrupt standstill. The cloud of smoke that drifted over Western Europe made aviation travel untenable, returning European skies to a quietude not felt for decades. Yet, while the effects of the eruption were frustrating for would-be travellers, they paled in comparison to those of other volcanic explosions throughout history. In Hawaiian mythology volcanoes are personified by the volatile, capricious goddess, Pele, or ‘she who shapes the sacred land’: here are some of the biggest volcanic eruptions that...
