1568 Eruption of Savo
Savo in the Solomon Islands erupted in 1568 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3. The eruption killed 1,001 people.
Where it erupted
Savo, Solomon Islands, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- 1568
- Volcano
- Savo, stratovolcano
- Country
- Solomon Islands
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
- Killed by
- Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts; Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts); Mudflows and lahars
- Location
- 9.130° S, 159.820° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,001
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.
Legends recall an eruption in which almost everyone on the island was killed by processes that include pyroclastic flows, ballistic impacts, and mudflows. The event was termed the “toghavitu eruption” which can be translated as either 1007 or 7000, referring to the number of fatalities. Only a few survived by escaping to neighboring islands. (reference #9675)
Other significant eruptions of Savo
More
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 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 2227.