The 1982 eruption of El Chichon, a volcano in Chiapas, Mexico, produced three Plinian eruptions on March 29, April 3 and April 4, reaching a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 5. It injected about 7 million metric tons of sulfur dioxide and 20 million metric tons of particulate material into the stratosphere, killed roughly 1,900 people, and destroyed nine villages. Stratospheric ash circled the globe within three weeks, producing measurable climate effects, and the eruption damaged coffee, cocoa and banana crops across some 24,000 square kilometers of countryside.
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