5 lesser-known facts about the eruption of Mount Tambora
What comes to your mind when you hear the term ‘volcano’? This one word conjures up images of rumbling mountains, streams of lava and clouds of ash pouring out of the volcano. You have certainly witnessed footages of lava erupting from a volcano at least once in some movie and definitely experienced both fear and exhilaration, right? But there are real volcanic eruptions that have left thousands dead and the world shaken.
There are around 1500 active volcanoes in the world, and a few of them have caused some of history's most tragic natural disasters. One volcanic eruption that occurred in 1815, is called the Mt. Tambora eruption. Mount Tambora is an active volcano located in the northern part of Sumbawa in Indonesia. The eruption of Mt. Tambora is regarded as one of the worst natural calamities to ever affect humanity and is the most intense volcanic eruption in recorded history. In addition to killing thousands of people, it also had some seriously harmful effects on the ecosystem. The year after Mount Tambora's eruption was known as the ‘Year Without a Summer.’ Let's have a look at some other intriguing facts about this volcanic explosion.
The explosion was heard 1400 km away
On April 5, 1815, a massive eruption took place in Mt. Tambora, accompanied by thunderous detonation sounds that could be heard as far away as Ternate, an island in the Maluku Islands, which is 1400 km away from Mount Tambora. The British authorities in Java, 1260 kilometres from Mount Tambora, had mistaken the noise of the eruption for an artillery fire. Having reason to believe that a nearby station was being attacked, soldiers were sent from Djogjokarta in central Java to fend off the intruders!
The eruption wiped out the entire Tambora village
After the April 5 eruption we discussed above, on April 10 of the same year, Mount Tambora had another explosion. It completely covered the volcano in a mass of hot, liquid lava. The entire community residing in the village of Tambora was destroyed in the wake of this terrible disaster. The explosion also impacted the village of Sanggar, which is about 31 kilometres from Tambora. The entire village was covered in big pumice stones that were spewed from the eruption.
It dropped the global temperature
During Mount Tambora's eruption, millions of tonnes of sulphur dioxide and other elements were released. This mixture spread widely from the equator to the poles as it soared high into the atmosphere. Sulphur dioxide began to oxidise and produce sulphate ions as a result. These ions transformed into tiny particles that reflected a modest amount of sunlight. As a result, there was less sunshine, which resulted in a fall in global temperatures! Can you believe this? Global temperatures remained low throughout the following year because the sulphate ions were tiny enough to float around for a few months.
Southeast Asia experienced darkness for a week
The eruption produced a thick and dense veil of volcanic ash spreading around the entire region of Southeast Asia which went into utter darkness for a week.
The eruption reduced Mt. Tambora’s height
Since 1812, there have been volcanic activities surrounding this mountain, which intensified in 1815. Its height reduced from approximately 4000 m to about 2800 m as a result of the 1815 eruptions. This is because millions of tonnes of rock and soil were ejected from its summit.