In the remote archipelago of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Indonesia), Mount Tambora, an imposing stratovolcano that before 1815 reached an altitude of more than 4,300 meters, was the scene of the most colossal volcanic eruption in documented history. This catastrophic event marked a turning point in the understanding of the geological and climatic impacts of volcanoes.

On April 5, 1815, Tambora awoke from its centuries-long slumber with a series of minor explosions that culminated on April 10 in an eruption with a magnitude of 7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). The eruption released approximately 100 cubic kilometers of volcanic material, completely destroying the summit of the volcano and forming a caldera 6 to 7 kilometers in diameter and more than 600 meters deep. The detonations were so intense that they were heard more than 2,600 kilometers away, while a dense ash cloud darkened the sky within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.

The eruption unleashed rivers of lava and devastating pyroclastic flows that buried entire villages. The village of Tambora, located on the Sanggar Peninsula, was completely obliterated along with its population. This cataclysm also triggered tsunamis that affected the coasts of nearby islands. In total, the catastrophe impacted a much larger region than initially thought, leaving scars both on the landscape and in the collective memory of humanity.

Tambora Volcano 1815
Satellite view of Tambora volcano. Credit: NASA / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

The immediate impact of the eruption was devastating. It is estimated that around 71,000 people died, most due to pyroclastic flows, famines, and diseases. In Sumbawa, the island where Tambora is located, the eruption destroyed most of the vegetation and contaminated water sources, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. There were also significant impacts on nearby islands such as Lombok and Bali, where access to food and drinking water became critical.

The eruption also altered the local ecosystem. The dense forests that once covered the slopes of the volcano were replaced by ash fields. Native animals and plants disappeared within days. In the following decades, researchers such as Heinrich Zollinger documented the slow ecological recovery processes in the region, where species like Casuarina and Duabanga moluccana began to recolonize the slopes of the volcano.

Tambora’s impact was not limited to the region. The eruption injected up to 120 million tons of sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, creating a layer of aerosols that reflected sunlight and cooled the planet. This phenomenon led to the so-called “Year Without a Summer” in 1816, when global temperatures dropped between 0.4 and 0.7 °C.

Tambora Volcano 1815
Aerial view of the summit and caldera of Tambora volcano. Credit: Jialiang Gao (peace-on-earth.org) / Wikimedia Commons

In Europe and North America, the summer of 1816 was marked by frosts, unseasonal snowfalls, and heavy rains that devastated crops. This triggered one of the worst food crises of the 19th century, with widespread famine in regions such as Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. In New England, snowstorms in June surprised farmers, while in Asia, the monsoon was also affected, contributing to floods and epidemics in India and China.

Atmospheric phenomena also manifested in natural spectacles, such as intensely colored sunsets due to volcanic ash particles in the atmosphere. Artists and writers of the time, such as the painter J. M. W. Turner, immortalized these apocalyptic skies in their works, while horror literature also flourished, inspired by the dark climate of the period.

In 2004, a team of archaeologists discovered the remains of a lost civilization buried under Tambora’s ashes. The findings, which include bronze and ceramic utensils as well as remnants of dwellings, reveal that the region was inhabited by a prosperous society before the eruption. Archaeologists named the site the Pompeii of the East due to its similarities with the tragedy that buried the ancient Roman city.

Tambora Volcano 1815
The Tambora crater. Credit: Paul Hessels / Wikimedia Commons / Flickr

The objects found suggest that the inhabitants of Tambora were traders who maintained connections with other Southeast Asian cultures. However, their entire society was buried, and their language, which did not belong to the Austronesian family, was lost forever, becoming a linguistic enigma.

Mount Tambora remains active. Continuous monitoring of the volcano and the creation of disaster mitigation maps aim to prevent similar tragedies in a densely populated region. Today, it is known that Indonesia, located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, is one of the most volcanically active areas in the world. The lessons learned from Tambora have led to improvements in early warning systems and greater awareness among local communities about the importance of disaster preparedness.

Volcanologists, climatologists, and archaeologists continue to study this event to better understand the limits of natural disasters and how we can adapt to them. As we face global challenges such as climate change, Tambora remains a powerful reminder of how a single event can change the course of human history.

This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on January 30, 2025: La erupción del volcán Tambora que provocó el año sin verano de 1816, es la mayor documentada hasta ahora

SOURCES

Global Volcanism Program, Tambora

Sigurdsson, H., Carey, S. Plinian and co-ignimbrite tephra fall from the. Bull Volcanol 51, 243–270 (1989). doi.org/10.1007/BF01073515

Lewis J. Abrams, Haraldur Sigurdsson, Characterization of pyroclastic fall and flow deposits from the 1815 eruption of Tambora volcano, Indonesia using ground-penetrating radar. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research 161 (2007) 352–361. doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2006.11.008

Robert Evans, Blast from the Past

Wikipedia, Tambora

  • Share on:

Discover more from LBV Magazine English Edition

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Follow LBV Magazine on Google News