80 million times more powerful than the atomic bomb! The eruption of Mount Tambora, which rewrote the history of the world.

65 million years ago, the earth was violently hit by an asteroid. Because of the shock wave produced by the impact and the subsequent low temperature, 75% of the creatures on the earth became extinct, and so did the dinosaurs that once dominated the earth. Why did you say this in the first place? Because 205 years ago, volcanic eruption also caused an effect similar to that of an asteroid hitting the earth. Although the impact of volcanic eruption is naturally smaller than that of an asteroid hitting the earth, otherwise there would be no human beings now, but according to scientists' calculations, the power of this volcanic eruption is equivalent to 80 million times that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb. This volcanic eruption caused global low temperature, crop failure, famine and plague. Not only that, but some scholars believe that the weakness of the Qing Dynasty and the failure of Napoleon's Waterloo War are all related to this volcanic eruption. Historians regard it as the deadliest volcanic eruption in history, which directly caused 654.38+ten thousand deaths and indirectly caused tens of millions of deaths. This volcano is Tambora volcano.

The volcano is hidden in the Java Sea on the north shore of Sombawa Island in Indonesia, which is located at the eastern end of Indonesia. The catastrophic eruption in Tamborra began on April 5th, 18 15, accompanied by slight vibration and volcanic ash eruption, which is a warning of disaster. Five days later, on the night of April 10, a devastating explosion blew the top of the mountain to pieces. Explosions, pyroclastic flows and magma caused by volcanic eruptions and tsunamis have killed at least 65,438+0,000 islanders and destroyed 35,000 people's homes. Before its eruption, Mount Tambora was about 4,300 meters (14,000 feet) high. After the volcanic eruption, a crater with a span of about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) appeared on the top of Tamborra. This is ten times larger than the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 199 1 year and one hundred times larger than the eruption of Mount St. hellens in 198 1 year. Next, I will introduce the influence of the eruption of Mount Tambora in more detail.

The island of Sumbawa, where Mount Tambora is located, is located in present-day Indonesia. When Europeans first discovered this island, they thought this mountain was an extinct volcano.

However, about three years before the volcano erupted in 18 15, the mountain seemed to be revived. People felt rumbling and a dark cloud appeared on the top of the mountain.

1865438+On April 5, 2005, the volcano began to erupt. British businessmen and explorers heard the sound and at first thought it was the sound of a cannon. People are worried that there is a naval battle going on nearby.

On the night of April 18 15, the volcano erupted in an all-round way, and the explosion could be heard on Sumatra Island more than 200 miles away. When huge boulders are thrown around like pebbles, the ground vibrates and causes great damage. Pillars of fire erupted from the mountains and merged together, carrying gas, dust and smoke to the sky miles away. Hot volcanic ash poured down the hillside at a speed of more than 100 miles per hour, and with the hiss, it rushed into the sea, destroying everything in its path, while the tsunami swept through the Java Sea. Volcanic ash fell in the farthest place in Borneo.

Volcanic ash and rubble poured for weeks, and miles of houses in Fiona Fang collapsed. Fresh water resources are polluted, crops fail, and sulfur-containing gas causes people's lung infections. It is believed that the volcanic flow killed almost all the residents in Tamborra, and 65,438+0,000 people died on the spot. The tsunami spread the damage to neighboring areas. Subsequently, the falling volcanic ash covered the ground, killing all the vegetation and causing as many as 80 thousand people in the surrounding islands to die of famine and disease. The total number of deaths directly caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora is about 654.38 million+people.

Stanford Raffles, then Governor-General of Java, sent an official to Sumbawa Island to investigate what had happened. He found that there were still bodies around, the village was almost completely deserted, and most houses collapsed. A few survivors desperately searched for food. An epidemic of diarrhea broke out, which is thought to be caused by volcanic ash polluting drinking water. This massive diarrhea caused many deaths.

The eruption of Mount Tambora pushes a large amount of sulfur-containing gas into the stratosphere, where it combines with water vapor to form an "aerosol" cloud composed of sulfuric acid droplets. The eruption of Mount Tambora has caused unusual weather phenomena around the world, which has caused the global temperature to drop by 4 to 7 degrees. This may not sound like much, but its impact is significant. The world has turned cold, and the weather system has completely changed for three years. 18 15 In the spring and summer, the sunshine in the northeast of the United States became dim and red because of smog, but this smog did not dissipate because of rain and wind.

Since14th century, the earth has been in a period of global cooling. The volcanic eruption of 18 15 aggravated this "Little Ice Age". Volcanic ash from Mount Tambora enveloped the whole earth. 1865438+In June 2006, snow fell in new york and Maine, and frost appeared in Connecticut. The snow in Quebec, Canada is very deep. In North America and other places, the cold lasted all summer, and a large number of crops failed. Indian and China's monsoon season is disrupted, agriculture is destructively affected, famine and cholera are prevalent, and 18 16 is called no summer year.

The areas particularly affected by the eruption of Mount Tambora are New England and Europe. Frost and snowfall in June, July and August destroyed almost all crops, and farmers were forced to slaughter livestock for lack of corn crops. A large area of crops failed in Europe, and Ireland experienced the first great famine. The Indian monsoon season was interrupted, and China also felt the impact of devastating floods.

Although it is difficult to know how many people died of hunger, it is estimated that the death toll may be about 654.38+00000. Then Tamborra triggered a global cholera epidemic, killing tens of millions of people. Cholera existed before the volcanic eruption, but due to the low temperature caused by the eruption of Tambora volcano, a new cholera strain appeared in the Bay of Bengal. Few people were immune to this new type of cholera, which later spread all over the world.

In addition, during the period from 18 16 to 18 19, a typhus epidemic occurred in Ireland, with an estimated death of 65,438+10,000 people. Obviously, Ireland has been hit hard by this epidemic.

18 16 riots broke out in Germany, Spain, France and Britain. Because of food shortage, large-scale demonstrations in many countries have been triggered. With the growing discontent and frustration, the army is often used to deal with domestic unrest. Unrest broke out in Germany and set off an anti-Semitic movement. Spain's colony Argentina became independent; Because a large number of volcanic ash ejected from Mount Tambora triggered "ionospheric short circuit", a large number of rain clouds were formed, and heavy rain and muddy roads hindered the army's March, which eventually led to Napoleon's defeat in the Battle of Waterloo and the fall of the French government. The shortage of bread in England led to riots in East Anglia. In Erie town, the workers armed themselves and took the sheriff hostage. In order to change this situation, Britain has accelerated its foreign expansion.

In order to avoid cold and famine and find fertile soil, American farmers began to move westward, which promoted the development of the western United States.

At the same time, Europeans began to immigrate to the United States, setting off the first wave of immigration. The population explosion in the United States has accelerated the development of the United States and made the oppressed America stronger.

In China, this period was the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. 1815-1817, a large-scale famine occurred in Yunnan, which was called Jiaqing famine in history. It can be said that Jiaqing famine was the largest and most serious famine recorded in modern Yunnan. In recent years, there have also been some extreme low temperature events in the vast areas of eastern China. 18 16 years, the grain production in the south of the Yangtze River was greatly reduced. The decline of national strength in Qing dynasty began. According to research, during the period of 1700- 1820, the average annual growth rate of China's economy was four times that of Europe. Then, in the century and a half after 1820, the share of China's economy in the world economy has been declining, becoming the only region where the per capita GDP of the world's six largest economies has declined. In order to find new business opportunities, Britain went to China, hoping to seek cooperation with the Qing government, but it was rejected, which also laid the groundwork for the Opium War and the humiliation of modern China. Of course, all this can't be simply attributed to the eruption of Mount Tambora, but it did have an impact on China.

In Switzerland, 18 16 is cold and humid in summer. Mary, percy shelley, Byron and two other friends live in Diodati Villa. It was raining and foggy, and they were trapped indoors. Byron suggested that each of them write a horror story to kill time. It was at this time that mary shelley began to write Frankenstein.

Tambora volcano is still active. The last volcanic eruption was in 1967. I don't know when it will happen again I just hope that the fewer such disasters, the better. Human society is so fragile in the face of natural disasters.