Thursday, March 10, 2011
Some Information on Mount Tambora:
The 1815 Explosion of Tambora
Scientific experiments have indicated that Tambora had been dormant for 5,000 years but magma had been building up in the chamber. This build-up had reached its limit in 1815.
The first sign of activity took place in 1812 when small eruptions of ash and steam were accompanied by earthquakes. This continued until April 5th, 1815, when the first significant eruption took place. It sent an ash plume 15 miles into the air. This first eruption lasted approximately two hours.
The next explosion took place on April 10th, 1815 and this caused the collapse of the eruption column. As a result, pyroclastic flows down the slope wiped out the villages of Sanggar and Tambora. This eruption lasted approximately three hours. Columns of fire appeared at the top of Tombora.
From April 10th to April 15, 1815, volcanic activity continued with pyroclastic flows and ash fallout. The intensity of the blasts ranged from moderate to large.
On April 15th, 1815, the final and biggest blast occurred.
Toxic gases, rocks, pumice and hot ash rushed across the island and instantly killed over 10,000 people in Tambora province. When this pyroclastic flow hit the water, it generated tsunamis to all the neighbouring islands which caused death and destruction. It is estimated that there were over 82,000 deaths resulting from the eruption of Mount Tambora.
According to
National Public Radio; “
Mount Tambora launched 100 cubic kilometers of rock into the air -- 10 times more than Italy's Vesuvius, which buried Pompeii in 79 A.D., and 150 times more than Mount St. Helens”.
The Aftermath of the 1815 Explosion of Tambora
The heavy fallout of ash blocked the sunlight for several days on the island of Sumbawa. The volcanic cloud from Tambora was carried to all parts of the world and lowered global temperatures by three degrees Celsius.
One year later, the cloud made its way to the northern hemisphere and caused cooler temperatures and crop failure. The year 1816 became known as ‘
the year without a summer’. Many places had snow in June and frosty nights in July, August and September.
There have been several minor eruptions inside the caldera of Tambora which have produced small lava domes and flows. Although there has not been a catastrophic eruption since 1815, the mountain is continuously monitored by the Directorate of Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Indonesia.
VolcanoeGeo
1:41 AM
