March 1883 Eruption of Karthala

Name: March 1883 Eruption of Karthala
Start: 1883-03
Location: Karthala, Comoros

March 1883 · VEI 2 · Deaths: many

Karthala in the Comoros erupted in March 1883 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.

Where it erupted

Karthala, Comoros, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: March 1883
Volcano: Karthala, shield volcano
Country: Comoros
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 2, moderate (eruption column 1 to 5 km)
Killed by: Lava flows
Location: 11.750° S, 43.380° E

The toll

Deaths: Many (about 101 to 1,000)
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)

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.

Voluminous lava flows destroyed a village and its inhabitants. (reference #9675)

Other significant eruptions of Karthala

Every eruption in 1883 The 1800s Karthala Earthquakes near Karthala

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 3.