April 5: Mount Tambora Begins Erupting (1815)
Prayer Idea
Pray for people who study volcanoes and for those affected by eruptions.
History Note
The earth has about 1,500 active volcanoes. About 75% of these are in an area around the Pacific Ocean known as the Ring of Fire. This region also accounts for about 90% of the world’s earthquakes.
Mount Tambora, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, produced what is considered the largest volcanic eruption in modern history in 1815. The eruption began on April 5, peaked on April 10, and persisted for several weeks.
The height of the mountain decreased from about 14,000 feet to under 10,000 feet as ash, pumice, and other rock was expelled into the air and around the island. Thousands of people in the immediate area died.
As the material expelled from the volcano entered the atmosphere, it affected global weather patterns for months. The average global temperature decreased noticeably, and during 1816, many parts of the world experienced snow and frost during summer. This led to food shortages and other challenges. People referred to 1816 as the “year without a summer.”
Astronaut Christina Koch took this photo of Mount Tambora from the International Space Station in 2019. Photo courtesy JSC / NASA.
Learn More
Watch this video about the eruption and its effects.
Learn more about volcanoes at Homeschool History.
