1010 BC Eruption of Tungurahua
Tungurahua in Ecuador erupted in 1010 BC with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5.
Where it erupted
Tungurahua, Ecuador, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- 1010 BC
- Volcano
- Tungurahua, stratovolcano
- Country
- Ecuador
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 5, very large (eruption column over 25 km)
- Location
- 1.467° S, 78.442° W
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
The lateral blast cloud contains pottery shards and the eruption likely impacted settled areas and killed hundreds to thousands. (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Tungurahua
More
Every eruption in 1010 BCThe 1000s BCTungurahuaEarthquakes near Tungurahua
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-10-01. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 6628.