The earthquakes, weather events, and tsunamis caused by the Krakatoa eruption of 1883 were felt even thousands of miles away.

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, found on the Indonesian island of Flores, erupted at 11.05am local time (3.05am GMT) on Tuesday and sent volcanic materials as high as 18 kilometres (11 miles) into the sky.

But each volcano is different. Some burst to life in violent eruptions, like the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, and others burp rivers of lava in what’s known as an effusive eruption, like ...