What is the most violent type of volcano eruption?
Generally, eruptions in subduction zones such as the Andes mountains are more violent, where one tectonic plate is being pushed under another, and melted. Areas like these have the most seismic activity as well. Rift zones- where new crust is forming and pushing the plates apart, such as in Iceland, tend to have less explosive eruptions (basalt lava tends to “ooze” out). The most violent eruption was Krakatoa, because it started on the sea bed, where an empty space formed beneath the lava. The sea bed gave way and millions of tonnes of sea water poured into the hot space, with predictable results. the explosion was heard in London, and the shock wave circled the globe several times.
