53 Impressive Mount Tambora Facts That Will Blow Your Mind!

Mount Tambora's eruption of 1815 is one of the most terrifying events in recent history.

Mount Tambora is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Sumbawa in Indonesia. Also regarded as the 'Pompeii of the East' after Mount Vesuvius, this volcano is very active and has been spewing ash and lava for many years now.

It is the largest volcano in Indonesia, and one of the largest in the world. The volcano has a peak elevation of 9354 ft (2851 m), making it one of the tallest mountains in Indonesia.

Mount Tambora is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with many eruptions documented since 1638. In 1815, Mount Tambora had its most famous eruption, which created a massive caldera and resulted in widespread death and destruction. Keep reading to learn more about Mount Tambora and its eruptions!

Geology Of Mount Tambora

Mount Tambora is a very famous and terrifying active volcano in Indonesia. Indonesia consists of many islands and the island where Mount Tambora is located is known as Sumbawa. This volcano is said to have been dormant for many years and only started becoming dangerous in the 19th century.

Mount Tambora was created billions of years ago.

According to estimations made by some of the most experienced scientists in the world, this volcano was created around 57 ka BP.

Mount Tambora is located in the Indonesian archipelago.

Among the group of islands that make up Indonesia, Mount Tambora is located on an island named Sumbawa.

It is classified as a stratovolcano.

It is still active and can even erupt in the near future.

This volcano was taller before the eruption of 1815.

The Tambora volcano region can be visited.

Many people also suggest appointing a tour guide if you want to fully embrace the sheer grandeur of this volcano and indulge in facts that can only be told by locals.

The Mount Tambora eruption is said to have wiped out an entire village of people.

The Tambora volcano created much loss of life and property through the eruption of 1815.

The Eruption Of 1815

The Mount Tambora eruption of 1815 is known as one of the most dangerous volcanic eruptions in recent history. This eruption caused many deaths and even wiped out an entire village.

Research held in such sites reveals that the village that has been burned down by lava might have had a language of its own, the literature of which has now been erased forever.

In addition to this, there were many repercussions that the surrounding areas had to face as a result of this tragic calamity. While some of these repercussions were very small, still others were more serious and took the death toll higher.

Mount Tambora started showing a lot of volcanic activity in 1812.

The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 had long-term effects on the global temperature.

Mount Tambora is one of the tallest peaks in Indonesia.

The volcanic eruption of 1815 was caused by an increase in pressure under the caldera floor.

With the increase in pressure, the caldera floor burst open, throwing lots of lava and other materials.

The lava flows eventually killed all the vegetation around the mountain.

The eruption was first mistaken to be a canyon fire.

However, this was not the case, which soon became evident through the volcanic ashfall.

The volcanic ash that resulted from this eruption engulfed the entire area and caused almost the whole Northern Hemisphere to be blanketed in ashes.

Due to this, no sunshine was able to penetrate the atmosphere, making it a summer-less year.

This is why 1816 is referred to as the 'year without any summer.'

In the entire Northern Hemisphere, the volcanic ash did not allow the Sun's rays to penetrate through the atmosphere.

As a result, there even was a reduction in global temperatures.

Effects Of Mount Tambora Eruptions

The volcanic eruption of 1815 is known as one of the most tragic ones. In this eruption, many people lost their lives. Animals also died along with their natural habitat. However, that is not all. Mount Tambora eruption of 1815 caused lasting and widespread effects.

The eruptions of 1815 took place in a number of stages.

During the first stage of the eruption, detonations were heard in the neighboring area.

This stage started on April 5, 1815, and went on till April 10.

In the span of these five days, there were many eruptions and a lot of ashes rose from the volcano.

During the second stage, however, the situation worsened considerably.

On April 10, the volcano started throwing flames into the air and caused much destruction.

Lava and other materials started flowing out from the insides of the earth.

The surrounding areas were burnt.

The height of Mount Tambora itself was reduced as a result of the eruption.

The neighboring islands experienced small tremors.

There were some tsunamis in the surrounding waters caused by these tremors.

Tremors were a result of the massive pressure that caused the caldera floor to erupt and huge columns of lava to come out.

There was also pyroclastic flows in the area.

The entire atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere was blanketed in huge amounts of ashes.

These ashes prevented any sunlight from entering.

This also lowered the global temperatures in 1816.

There was practically no summer in the Northern Hemisphere in 1816.

Archaeological evidence shows that an entire village was wiped out because of this eruption.

The village might have had its own literature and culture, which is now lost forever.

Between 71,000 and 117,000 people were killed as a result of this tragic eruption.

The eruption also released a lot of smoke and sulfur.

There is still a faint sulfur smell in the Mount Tambora region.

Features Of Mount Tambora's Eruption

Mount Tambora is one of the most famous active volcanoes in the world and is characterized by some features.

Mount Tambora is a stratovolcano.

Stratovolcanoes are characterized by their steep sides and heights.

Mount Tamora became more active since 1812.

There have been some minor lava domes in the volcano in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Mount Tambora's height was over 14,107.6 ft (4300 m) before the eruption of 1815.

After the eruption, the height was reduced to 9354 ft (2851 m).

On the Volcanic Explosivity Index or VEI, the eruption of 1815 was rated at a VEI 7.

This intensity has been achieved by very few volcanoes in the world.

Mount Tambora is also known as the Pompeii of the East.

FAQs

How old is Mount Tambora?

The date as to when this volcano came into existence is a matter of speculation. However, based on many studies that have been conducted through the years, this volcano came into existence in about 57 ka BP.

Why is Mount Tambora famous?

Mount Tambora is famous because it erupted in the recent past. The last huge, recorded eruption of Mount Tambora took place in 1815 and is known as one of the most tragic incidents in the history of Indonesia.

There was a lot of loss and destruction in this eruption and the entire Northern Hemisphere had to suffer the after-effects from this natural calamity. The Tambora volcano is also famous for being one of the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world.

Did Mount Tambora cause a tsunami?

The eruption of Mount Tambora also caused many tsunamis in the Indonesian archipelago, which eventually raised the death toll by a lot. The simple reason behind this is that the volcanic material beneath the surface of Mount Tambora developed a lot of pressure in order to be able to erupt from the surface.

An eruption caused because of such a huge amount of pressure sent entire neighboring landmasses to be shaken up, which is why there were major tsunamis in the area after the volcano erupted.

Did Mount Tambora cause an earthquake?

Small tremors were felt in neighboring areas of the eruption, although there are no readily available records that can show us the exact nature of these tremors and their rating on a seismic graph.

What type of lava does Tambora have?

The lava flow from Mount Tambora is classified as thick and highly viscous in nature. This is a characteristic that is shared by all kinds of stratovolcanoes.

What is Mount Tambora?

Mount Tambora is an active volcano. The eruption of Mount Tambora of 1815 is still remembered as one of the most dangerous and terrifying volcanic eruptions of recent times. Although there have been more incidents, nothing has been able to match the intensity of this eruption, making it one of the most famous volcano eruptions.