Mount Tambora Uncovered

The eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia on April 10, 1815 was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history — VEI 7 (Volcanic Explosivity Index). It ejected roughly 160 cubic kilometers of material and killed about 11,000 people directly through pyroclastic flows, ashfall, and tsunamis. Counting the famine and disease that followed when ash destroyed the crops, the total toll reached roughly 71,000.

The global aftermath was worse. Sulfur aerosols blocked sunlight worldwide, causing 1816 to be called "The Year Without a Summer." Frost struck New England in June. Crops failed across Europe, causing famine and riots. The cold, dark summer of 1816 also inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein while trapped indoors at Lake Geneva.