a VEI for 7,742 volcanic eruptions that occurred during the Holocene (the last 11,700 years) which account for about 75% of the total known eruptions during the Holocene. Of these 7,742 eruptions, about 49% have a VEI of 2 or lower, and 90% have a VEI of 3 or lower. Limitations Under the VEI, ash, lava, lava bombs, and ignimbrite are all treated alike. Density and vesicularity (gas bubbling) of the volcanic products in question is not taken into account. In contrast, the DRE (dense-rock equivalent) is sometimes calculated to give the actual amount of magma erupted. Another weakness of the VEI is that it does not take into account the power output of an eruption, which makes the VEI extremely difficult to determine with prehistoric or unobserved eruptions. Although VEI is quite suitable for classifying the explosive magnitude of eruptions, the index is not as significant as sulfur dioxide emissions in quantifying their atmospheric and climatic impact. Lists of notable eruptions Timeline of volcanism on Earth (mostly VEI-6, within 2 kya) List of volcanic eruptions 1500–1999 List of volcanic eruptions in the 21st century List of volcanic eruptions by death toll List of large Holocene volcanic eruptions (VEI-5–7, or plume height of at least 30 km) List of large volcanic eruptions (mostly VEI-6–8, within 50 Mya) List of largest volcanic eruptions (VEI-7–8, mostly within 500 Mya) See also Lists of volcanoes List of natural disasters by death toll References External links VEI glossary entry from a USGS website How to measure the size of a volcanic eruption, from The Guardian The size and frequency of the largest explosive eruptions on Earth, a 2004 article from the Bulletin of Volcanology List of Large Holocene Eruptions (VEI > 4) from the Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program Volcanology Hazard scales 1982 introductions