946 eruption of Paektu Mountain
The 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain in Korea and China, also known as the Millennium Eruption or Tianchi eruption, was one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history and is classified as a VEI-6 event. The eruption resulted in a brief period of significant climate change in Manchuria. The eruption occurred in late 946 CE.
| 946 eruption of Paektu Mountain | |
|---|---|
| Volcano | Paektu Mountain |
| Date | late 946 CE |
| Type | Plinian |
| Location | Jilin, China and Ryanggang Province, North Korea |
| VEI | 6 |
| Impact | At least short-term regional climate changes |
The eruption ejected about 40–98 cubic kilometers (9.6–23.5 cu mi) of bulk tephra and collapsed the mountain into a caldera, which now contains the crater lake named Heaven Lake. The eruption began with a strong Plinian column, and ended with voluminous pyroclastic flows. An average of 5 cm (2.0 in) of Plinian ashfall and co–ignimbrite ashfall covered about 1,500,000 km2 (580,000 sq mi) of the Sea of Japan and northern Japan. This ash layer has been named the "Baegdusan-Tomakomai ash" (B-Tm). This was one of the largest and most powerful eruptions in the last 5,000 years, along with the Minoan eruption of Thera, the Hatepe eruption of Lake Taupō (around 230 AD), the 1257 eruption of Mount Samalas near Mount Rinjani, and the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora.