April 4, 1982 Eruption of El Chichon
El Chichon in Mexico erupted on April 4, 1982 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5. The eruption killed 33 people.
Where it erupted
El Chichon, Mexico, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- April 4, 1982
- Volcano
- El Chichon, tuff cone
- Country
- Mexico
- Volcanic Explosivity Index
- 5, very large (eruption column over 25 km)
- Killed by
- Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts
- Location
- 17.360° N, 93.230° W
The toll
- Deaths
- 33
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.
32 soldiers and 1 geologist killed by pryoclastic flow that overran Francisco Leon, 5 km SW of summit.
Other significant eruptions of El Chichon
More
Every eruption in 1982The 1900sEl ChichonEarthquakes near El ChichonThis 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 3519.