April 27, 1981 Eruption of Alaid
Alaid in Russia erupted on April 27, 1981 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 2.
Where it erupted
Alaid, Russia, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 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.
The eruption began during the day on 27 April and was not preceded by any appreciable seismic activity. Significant ashfalls were reported over a wide area. Soviet volcanologists reported that the ash, a pyroxene olivine basalt, fell as much as 1,000 km from the volcano, over an area of 150,000 km2. They noted an accumulation of 30 cm of ash 7 km from Alaid, and that 20-25 cm fell on the town of Severokurilsk (45 km ESE of the volcano), where residents heard roaring noises and saw a glow from the volcano during the night. Schools were closed in Severokurilsk and radio communication was disrupted. Some damage was caused to buildings.
Other significant eruptions of Alaid
More
Every eruption in 1981The 1900sAlaidEarthquakes near AlaidThis day in weather history
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 2844.