During the Holocene, Huaynaputina has erupted several times, including on 19February 1600 – the largest ever recorded in South America. Witnessed by people in the city of Arequipa, this eruption measured 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index and continued with a series of events into March. Its impact on the region was severe. It wiped out vegetation, buried the surrounding area with of volcanic rock and damaged infrastructure and economic resources. The eruption had significant effects on Earth's climate; temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere decreased, and millions of tons of acid were deposited. Floods, famines and cold waves resulted in numerous places in Europe, Asia and the Americas. The climate disruption caused social upheaval in countries as far away as Russia and may have played a role in the onset of the Little Ice Age.