In 1815 the terrible eruption of Mount Tambora (Indonesia) took place, one of the most explosive in history. Changed the climate of the northern hemisphere of the Earth generating a series of side effects in the following years.
Many geological phenomena occur continuously in each layer of our planet, but few of these fascinate us like the manifestations of volcanism. Colossal clouds invading tropical skies, sparkling lava flows that advance unstoppably, scenes at times poetic and inspiring stories from other times.
Mount Tambora deserves a bit of our attention
Our past is full of sources that recall devastating eruptions, entries squarely in the record of the most dramatic events in human history. For example Vesuvius in 79 AD, Krakatoa in 1883, or Saint Helens in 1980. They are events that have their own place in the mind of humanity because of the impact they had, but not all events have been marked and some are worthy of doing so. As for example the case we are talking about today.
Curiously, very little is said about the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, which took place on the island of Sumbawa (Indonesia) and is considered by many volcanologists as the most devastating in history or, at least, the largest since the last ice age, which ended more than 10.000 years ago. He had an explosive index (VEI) of 7 out of 8. That is said soon and fast.
Tambora's 1815 eruption lasted more than 3 months
Tambora is a stratovolcano, that is, a volcano that originated from the progressive accumulation and subsequent stratification of solidified lava, ash, and rock. Stratovolcanoes, or cone volcanoes, are structures formed by the superposition of multiple levels of lava and solidified debris.
It is located in Indonesia, on the island of Sumbawa (of volcanic origin). The volcano, after awakening from quiescence, that is, a state of temporary inactivity, began a series of violent eruptive events on April 5, 1815, lasting five days at their most intense, but ending completely after a period of more than three months.
The first explosion was heard hundreds of kilometers
The first large explosion, which took place on April 5, was heard hundreds of kilometers away and generated a column of smoke and ash more than 30 km high. The officers of the Dutch East India Company, which at the time administered the territories of the archipelago, Convinced that they had heard artillery fire from an unknown enemy, they armed their troops. Only the next day, and only after noticing ash-black skies and a shower of rocks the size of grapefruit, did they realize the presence of a far more formidable adversary.
by seas and skies
The second explosion, which took place a few days later, generated an eruptive column of more than 40 km, which in a short time poured down the slopes of the volcano in association with catastrophic flows of magmatic materials and incandescent gases (called pyroclastic flows). Lava flows, tsunamis triggered by earthquakes associated with explosions, and rain of ash and pumice wiped entire kingdoms on Indonesian islands off the face of the earth. Sources estimate a death toll of more than 10,000 from the explosions alone. of Tambora, but the number grows to more than 100,000 if we consider the consequences of the devastation, famine and disease that plagued Indonesia in the period that followed. Recent geological studies give the Tambora eruption a score of 7 (out of 8) in the VEI index.
The effects of the Tambora eruption
The amount of material emitted during the eruption was such that it reduced the incidence of the sun's rays, or more scientifically, solar radiation, on the Earth's surface, causing a drop in global temperatures. The following year, 1816, was called the year without a summer due to the low temperatures.. The side effects in the northern hemisphere were multiple.
The first and most direct were obviously the effects on the climate that gave rise to extreme weather events: flash frosts, heavy snowfalls at unlikely latitudes, torrential rains where they should not have occurred, floodingThis can be related to other natural phenomena that have also had devastating consequences in history, such as tsunamis and earthquakes that have impacted various regions.
Disasters go beyond nature
In turn, climate change wreaked havoc on the economy. In particular, there was a drop in agricultural productivity. Finding a suitable period for sowing became complicated, not all plants grew and germinated at low temperatures, extreme events damaged crops. The fall in agricultural production created problems in the zootechnical sector and breeding became less profitable due to low fodder production and reduced animal survival in colder temperatures. The consequent lack of food It was therefore a major problem for North America and Europe, where health and hygiene problems such as malnutrition and disease spread. This, in turn, generated much discontent.
Tambora and its relationship with Napoleon
Among the various consequences, Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo could also be involved, somehow connected to the torrential rains that followed the eruption of Tambora and other volcanoes. The rains turned the battlefields into vast swamps which greatly complicated the combat maneuvers of the cavalry and artillery.
In short, the Tambora eruption, in addition to the damage caused at the regional level, generated short-term climatic changes that caused considerable damage to the economies of the countries of the northern hemisphere. The economic problems were translated into social and political problems of which led to intense migratory flows, tensions and revolts that amplified the problems already existing in the complex geopolitical framework of the time. A natural event of this magnitude could therefore set in motion many small changes that, over the decades, crystallized into tiles in the branching mosaic of history.