In 1815, Mount Tambora experienced the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The eruption’s effects altered Earth’s climate for years and even led to the “year without summer” in 1816. Volcanic eruptions occur frequently but rarely at this magnitude.
It’s likely that within the next thousand years, Tambora will violently erupt again, but is the eruption imminent?
Significance of the 1815 Mount Tambora Eruption
Mount Tambora is a stratovolcano on the Sumbawa island in Indonesia. The volcano resides along the Sunda Arc — a chain of volcanic islands. Though it has experienced several eruptions throughout history, Mount Tambora is famous for its eruption in 1815.
Before the Mount Tambora eruption in 1815, the locals began noticing volcanic activity five days leading up to the eruption. During those five days, lava flows came down the volcano along with small seismic tremors.
On the evening of April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora exploded with such force that the volcano nearly blew apart. At the time, it stood about 14,000 feet tall. But in the aftermath, a nearly four-mile caldera remained. It’s currently 9,354 feet tall.
From the caldera spewed 24 cubic miles of ash, rock, and gases into the air, including 60 megatons of sulfur. Large chunks of pumice stone apparently rained down around the volcano, and the dark column of smoke could be seen from over 300 miles away.
Read More: What Causes Volcanic Eruptions: Can We Predict Them?
Why the Mount Tambora Eruption Was So Deadly
The eruption triggered tsunamis and pyroclastic flows — fast-moving lava that flows down the volcano — and initially killed around 10,000 people. However, it was the aftermath of the eruption that altered the climate, blocked out the sun, and prevented crops from growing. This likely led to the deaths of an additional 80,000 people in the surrounding areas, as it caused mass famine and disease.
In other parts of the world, the effects of the volcanic fallout changed weather patterns, causing freezing temperatures and snow in parts of Europe and North America during their peak growing seasons, leading to crop failure and starvation. This would come to be known as the “year without summer” in 1816. Overall, the eruption lowered the planet’s temperature by about 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
The eruption registered at a seven on the volcanic explosivity index (VEI), a scale that measures how long an eruption lasts, how far the volcanic materials spread, and how much volcanic material is ejected. The VEI rates volcanic eruptions on a one to eight scale, with eight as the largest. Because of its size and rating, many researchers agree that the Mount Tambora eruption is the largest in recorded history.
When will Mount Tambora Erupt Again?
Mount Tambora is still an active volcano and has erupted as recently as 1967, although it was barely registered on the VEI. As far as a VEI-7 level eruption, that’s harder to know.
According to the USGS, the likelihood of a VEI-7 eruption coming from Mount Tambora anytime soon is relatively small. An eruption of that scale does not happen often, and if it were to happen, it would likely come from a different active volcano instead of Mount Tambora.
In the event of another eruption from Mount Tambora, experts from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation have created a plan to help minimize casualties to the best of their ability. And they are not alone. Organizations like the USGS are working to form plans in the case of massive volcanic eruptions. However, more resources and funding are needed.
For the time being, it does not appear that Mount Tambora is showing any signs of a massive eruption. But those monitoring volcanoes will be sure to let us know when those signs appear.
Read More: 5 of the Most Explosive Volcanic Eruptions
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A graduate of UW-Whitewater, Monica Cull wrote for several organizations, including one that focused on bees and the natural world, before coming to Discover Magazine. Her current work also appears on her travel blog and Common State Magazine. Her love of science came from watching PBS shows as a kid with her mom and spending too much time binging Doctor Who.
