Zachary Campanelli
Gsci-131
Final Paper
Mount Tambora is a volcano located on the northern coast of Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. The volcanic eruption in April 1815 is the largest recorded eruption in history. Mount Tambora forms the 60 kilometer long Sanggar Peninsula, previously standing at a height of approximately 5000 meters high. After the eruption, the volcano lost most of it’s top, now standing at 2,851 meters. Today the volcano still remains active. Smaller eruptions have taken place in 1880 and 1927. There have also been periods of increased seismic activity in 2011-2013. Tambora is the largest recorded eruption in all of history. On April 5, 1815, a modest eruption had occurred, followed by rumbling noises. By April 10, Ash had begun …show more content…
Tambora is plate tectonics. Islands in this chain along Indonesia are located along the convergent plate boundary of the Eurasian and Australian plates. A convergent boundary is the place where two tectonic plates collide. This can be oceanic-oceanic, oceanic-continental, or continental-continental. In the case of Mount Tambora, the Australian plate slides below the Eurasian plate. In this case a subduction zone is created. Here the sliding of the Australian plate under the Eurasian plate creates a deep trench. The plate is saturated with water which contributes to the melting of the mantle wedge above the Australian plate. The magma between the plate cools, and if this magma reaches the surface, it causes a volcano to …show more content…
Some of these results covered will be the explosivity and fatalities, global cooling, the global effects on the population, which includes what is known as “The Year Without a Summer”, and cultural and demographic effects.
The Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI, was developed by Chris Newhall and Stephen Self in 1982. It allows scientists to compare the severity of volcanic eruptions from today as well as millions of years ago. Factors involved in this scale is the volume of pyroclastic material released by the volcano, the height of the eruption column, and how long the eruption lasts. The VEI ranks from 0 to 8, with 8 being the most severe of the eruptions. The eruption of Tambora ranked a 7 on the scale, meaning it was just below the most severe level of eruption possible. The damages caused tsunamis, as well as extensive land and property damage. The entire village of Tambora had been completely destroyed. Roughly 10,000 people were killed directly due to the magma, while many others died from the tsunamis and whirlwinds. Surprisingly enough the largest number of deaths from this eruption weren’t any of these causes Rather the ash from the volcano polluted the water and destroyed the crops and livestock. This lack of food and water also led to disease, increasing this number to roughly
Gsci-131
Final Paper
Mount Tambora is a volcano located on the northern coast of Sumbawa Island, Indonesia. The volcanic eruption in April 1815 is the largest recorded eruption in history. Mount Tambora forms the 60 kilometer long Sanggar Peninsula, previously standing at a height of approximately 5000 meters high. After the eruption, the volcano lost most of it’s top, now standing at 2,851 meters. Today the volcano still remains active. Smaller eruptions have taken place in 1880 and 1927. There have also been periods of increased seismic activity in 2011-2013. Tambora is the largest recorded eruption in all of history. On April 5, 1815, a modest eruption had occurred, followed by rumbling noises. By April 10, Ash had begun …show more content…
Tambora is plate tectonics. Islands in this chain along Indonesia are located along the convergent plate boundary of the Eurasian and Australian plates. A convergent boundary is the place where two tectonic plates collide. This can be oceanic-oceanic, oceanic-continental, or continental-continental. In the case of Mount Tambora, the Australian plate slides below the Eurasian plate. In this case a subduction zone is created. Here the sliding of the Australian plate under the Eurasian plate creates a deep trench. The plate is saturated with water which contributes to the melting of the mantle wedge above the Australian plate. The magma between the plate cools, and if this magma reaches the surface, it causes a volcano to …show more content…
Some of these results covered will be the explosivity and fatalities, global cooling, the global effects on the population, which includes what is known as “The Year Without a Summer”, and cultural and demographic effects.
The Volcanic Explosivity Index, or VEI, was developed by Chris Newhall and Stephen Self in 1982. It allows scientists to compare the severity of volcanic eruptions from today as well as millions of years ago. Factors involved in this scale is the volume of pyroclastic material released by the volcano, the height of the eruption column, and how long the eruption lasts. The VEI ranks from 0 to 8, with 8 being the most severe of the eruptions. The eruption of Tambora ranked a 7 on the scale, meaning it was just below the most severe level of eruption possible. The damages caused tsunamis, as well as extensive land and property damage. The entire village of Tambora had been completely destroyed. Roughly 10,000 people were killed directly due to the magma, while many others died from the tsunamis and whirlwinds. Surprisingly enough the largest number of deaths from this eruption weren’t any of these causes Rather the ash from the volcano polluted the water and destroyed the crops and livestock. This lack of food and water also led to disease, increasing this number to roughly