The 1982 eruption of El Chichon volcano, southeastern Mexico

Late in the evening on March 28, El Chichon roared into life with a tremendous explosion that sent a column of ash and gases 10 miles high within an hour. There were no immediate warning signals of the eruption of El Chichon, although increased earthquake activity had been noted for months, possibly a few years, before the explosion. Sound waves from the explosion were detected by instruments 7000 miles away in Antarctica.