About the volcano
Tambora on the island of Sumbawa erupted in April 1815 with a VEI of 7 – the largest eruption known from historical records. The volcano lost more than a kilometre of height, and a caldera about 6 kilometres wide formed at its summit. Pyroclastic flows, tsunamis and then famine killed tens of thousands of people on Sumbawa and nearby islands. Sulphur blasted into the stratosphere cooled the climate: 1816 went down in Europe and North America as the “year without a summer”, with midsummer frosts and failed harvests.
Eruption history
VEI – Volcanic Explosivity Index: 0 = lava outpouring, 4 = like Eyjafjallajökull 2010, 6 = like Pinatubo 1991, 7 = like Tambora 1815. The scale is logarithmic – each step is about 10 times more material.
| Start | End | VEI | Vent and dating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 July 1967 ± 20 years | — | 0 | NE part of caldera floor · Observations: Reported |
| 2 July 1880 ± 30 years | — | 2 | SW part of caldera (Doro Afi Toi) · Observations: Reported |
| 16 August 1819 | — | 2 | Observations: Reported |
| 2 July 1812 | 15 July 1815 | 7 | Observations: Reported |
| 740 ± 150 years | — | ? | Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated) |
| c. 3,050 BCE | — | ? | Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated) |
| 3,910 BCE ± 200 years | — | ? | Isotopic: 14C (uncalibrated) |
Data: Global Volcanism Program, Smithsonian Institution (#264040) · Wikipedia (pl) · Wikipedia (en)