Eruption of Pinatubo on June 15, 1991
On June 15, 1991, at 13:42 local time, Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines ejected 8 to 10 km3 of material as much as 35 km up into the atmosphsphere. The total volume (Dense Rock Equivalent) of magma erupted was approximately 5 km3 consisting of 8.4 to 10.4 km3 ejecta, 5 to 6 km3 ignimbrite, and 3.4-4.4 km3 fallout deposits (Self et al., 1996). Gases included 491 to 921 megatons (Mt) of water (H20) including 96 Mt pre-eruption vapor and 395 Mt magma degassing, 42 to 234 Mt carbon dioxide (CO2), 17±2 Mt sulfur dioxide (SO2) (Gerlach et al., 1996) , and 3 to 16 Mt chlorine (Cl) (Self et al., 1996).
Photograph by David Harlow of the US Geological Survey.