1576 Eruption of Colima

Name: 1576 Eruption of Colima
Start: 1576
Location: Colima, Mexico

1576 · VEI 3 · Deaths: few

Colima in Mexico erupted in 1576 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3.

Where it erupted

Colima, Mexico, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: 1576
Volcano: Colima, stratovolcano
Country: Mexico
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Location: 19.514° N, 103.620° W

The toll

Deaths: Few (about 1 to 50)

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.

Strong explosive eruption, great destruction of land. Deaths reported - number unknown.

Other significant eruptions of Colima

Every eruption in 1576 The 1500s Colima Earthquakes near Colima

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 3473.