Tambora Volcano, Indonesia

In Indonesia, on the island of Sumbawa, you can find Tambora volcano. Its eruption was one of the most violent in the 19th century. It happened in 1815. The event was of incredible scale. It’s considered that it could cause a serious climate change on the planet. According to rough estimates, about 24 cubic kilometers of lava were thrown out to earth surface during the eruption. Far more devastating consequences had the release of several million tons of sulfur dioxide. Its gases literally wrapped the Earth up and hid it from the sunlight.

Subsequently, a poisonous gas enveloped the planet for a long time, periodically spilling in various places as an acid rain. According to historical records, 1816 was the coldest year in the last century in both America and Europe. In historical writings, it’s often called the year without summer. In 1815, the volcanic eruption of Tambora killed more than 71 000 people. To the date, that’s a largest number of victims of the volcanic activity in the history of mankind.

In addition to global climate anomalies, the eruption caused major geological changes. It literally destroyed the island, burying it under a thick layer of ash, together with thousands of people and priceless cultural monuments. At present, almost the entire territory of the island is a valuable archaeological area, where researchers from around the world are working continuously. One of the greatest archaeological discoveries was made in summer of 2004. Scientists have found an evidence of the completely destroyed culture in the immediate vicinity of the volcano. The invaluable archaeological area of Sigurdsson immediately gained the informal name of Eastern Pompeii. Next - Mount Pelee Volcano