Mount Tambora is a stratovolcano, layered with pumice, rock, ash and hardened lava.
One of the most deadly natural disasters in recorded history occurred in 1815 on Mount Tambora, located on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. A volcanic eruption claimed as many as 117,000 lives in Indonesia alone, and subsequently killed hundreds of thousands of people across the Northern Hemisphere.
Mount Tambora Erupts
At approximately 7 p.m. on April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora's volcano exploded. The super-colossal eruption caused 16-foot tsunamis along the coast of Indonesia. The spewing hot lava reached speeds of 124 mph, immediately killing 10,000 victims in its path. Mount Tambora's volcanic eruptions continued until July 15, 1815.
Year Without a Summer
In the summer of 1816, the dense volcanic ash from Mount Tambora's eruption blew into the skies over the Northern Hemisphere. The haze of suspended ash filtered the sun from the people and crops below. Unseasonably low temperatures caused frost, crop failure, famine, disease and death across Europe and North America. Historians refer to this isolated event as "The Year Without a Summer."
In 1920, American climatologist William Humphreys was credited with connecting the Northern Hemisphere's extreme weather conditions to Mount Tambora's airborne volcanic ash.
Indonesian Famine
After the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora, thick layers of ash ruined crops on the islands of Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi and Sumbawa. The resulting famine throughout Indonesia turned so severe, islanders sold themselves as slaves to traders and gave away their children in exchange for rations of rice.
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