Tambora: The Mother of All Eruptions

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On April 10, 1816, the most powerful volcanic explosion in recorded history occurred. The volcano was Mt. Tambora in the Sumbawa Islands in Indonesia. The explosion measured a 7 on the volcanic explosivity index. The explosion could be heard for thousands of miles. Smaller explosions and eruptions occurred before and after the initial giant explosion.

Over 71,000 people were killed. Approximately 12,000 deaths resulted directly from the explosion. The other deaths resulted from contamination of the water by volcanic ash and sulfur. Many described this as a dry haze. Even rain and snow couldn’t get rid of the haze. So much sulfur and ash were spewed into the atmosphere that global temperatures were lowered by approximately 0.5 degrees Celsius. This drop in temperature caused the year 1816 to be called the “year without a summer.”

The effects of the cooling caused summer snowfalls in North America and Europe. All vegetation of the island was destroyed. Famines occurred. Sir Stamford Raffles, a British statesman who founded Singapore, sent Lt. Philips to go to Sumbawa....

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