History
The volcano Pinatubo is formed by the subduction of the Eurasian plate and the Philippine Mobile Belt.
The existence of the volcano Pinatubo can be divided into two periods: the Ancestral Pinatubo & the Modern Pinatubo.
Ancestral Pinatubo
Activity of the Ancestral Pinatubo started about 1.1 million years ago. The surrounding land of the present volcano still consists of pieces of the Ancestral Pinatubo. It was a Stratovolcano with less volcanic activity than the modern Pinatubo.
Modern Pinatubo
After a long period of dormancy the modern Pinatubo was born. This happened in the most explosive eruption of the Pinatubo (around 35,000 years ago). The eruption was 5 times larger than the eruption in 1991. Pyroclastic flow material up to 100 metres thick flowed down all the sides of the mountain. When that amount of material was removed from the magma chamber this led to the formation of the Tayawan caldera.
From about 17.000 – 500 year ago there have been several eruptions, each one of these very large. But the eruptions have been getting smaller through the history of the Modern Pinatubo. So the oldest eruption was also the largest.
After the Buag eruption, 500 years ago, the volcano lay dormant. The slopes of the volcano became completely covered in rainforests. And 2 April 1991, the volcano awoke again.
Caldera: A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. A caldera is sometimes confused with a volcanic crater. The word comes from the Spanish caldera, which means “cooking pot”.
The existence of the volcano Pinatubo can be divided into two periods: the Ancestral Pinatubo & the Modern Pinatubo.
Ancestral Pinatubo
Activity of the Ancestral Pinatubo started about 1.1 million years ago. The surrounding land of the present volcano still consists of pieces of the Ancestral Pinatubo. It was a Stratovolcano with less volcanic activity than the modern Pinatubo.
Modern Pinatubo
After a long period of dormancy the modern Pinatubo was born. This happened in the most explosive eruption of the Pinatubo (around 35,000 years ago). The eruption was 5 times larger than the eruption in 1991. Pyroclastic flow material up to 100 metres thick flowed down all the sides of the mountain. When that amount of material was removed from the magma chamber this led to the formation of the Tayawan caldera.
From about 17.000 – 500 year ago there have been several eruptions, each one of these very large. But the eruptions have been getting smaller through the history of the Modern Pinatubo. So the oldest eruption was also the largest.
After the Buag eruption, 500 years ago, the volcano lay dormant. The slopes of the volcano became completely covered in rainforests. And 2 April 1991, the volcano awoke again.
Caldera: A caldera is a volcanic feature formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption. A caldera is sometimes confused with a volcanic crater. The word comes from the Spanish caldera, which means “cooking pot”.