Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of the most significant eruptions (video - archived from news broadcasts) of the last century (or more) - the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines. The eruption is a landmark event for a number of reasons. First, it was one of the great successes of modern volcano monitoring - the cost in terms of lives and property were greatly reduced thanks to excellent mitigation, monitoring and emergency management. Second, it was an eruption that showed how a single event on the planet can have a global impact, as the "Pinatubo Effect" caused a 4-5 year period of cooling around the globe.
If you're looking for an excellent summary of the 1991 eruption, check out the USGS page on Pinatubo* - or, if you really want to relive the drama of the events leading up to and during the climactic eruption, watch "In ...
