Some have heard of this other have not but put simply the VEI is a scale that measures the explosive power of a volcano which is determined by the amount of material that a volcano can eject when erupting.
The scale itself ranges from 0 to 8 and is logarithmic above 2. What logarithmic means is that each number above 2 is 10 times greater than the one before. So a VEI of 2.0 will eject 1,000,000 m³ but a VEI of 3.0 will eject 10,000,000 m³ However, a VEI of 0 is less than 10,000 and a VEI of 1 is 10,000. Sounds a little confusing at first but this allows for a scale of 0 to 8 with 8 being so massive that it would be considered an extinction level event.
The scale itself ranges from 0 to 8 and is logarithmic above 2. What logarithmic means is that each number above 2 is 10 times greater than the one before. So a VEI of 2.0 will eject 1,000,000 m³ but a VEI of 3.0 will eject 10,000,000 m³ However, a VEI of 0 is less than 10,000 and a VEI of 1 is 10,000. Sounds a little confusing at first but this allows for a scale of 0 to 8 with 8 being so massive that it would be considered an extinction level event.
VEI Chart
VEI | Volume Ejected | Description |
0 | < 10,000 m³ | Effusive |
1 | > 10,000 m³ | Gentle |
2 | >1,000,000 m³ | Explosive |
3 | > 10,000,000 m³ | Catastrophic |
4 | > 0.1 km³ | Cataclysmic |
5 | > 1 km³ | Paroxysmic |
6 | > 10 km³ | Colossal |
7 | > 100 km³ | Mega-colossal |
8 | > 1000 km³ | Apocalyptic |