Tambora: The Eruption. The Cold. The Year Without Summer.Episode 21:39
The Largest Explosion Ever Recorded
After three years of unrest, Tambora enters a five-day escalation toward an explosion of almost unimaginable scale.
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Transcript
The first explosions sounded like distant cannon fire.
Tambora, the mountain above Indonesia's Sumbawa island.
Tambora, one of Indonesia’s tallest mountains, became restless in 1812.
April 5th, 1815, Tambora began rumbling as large ash plumes rose above it.
By April 6th, ash was already falling in East Java.
The Rajah of Sanggar said three columns of flame united in the air.
People mistook the explosions for an attack on a neighboring post.
Troops marched from Djocjocarta, believing a neighboring post under attack.
Around 7 p.m. April 10th, explosions intensified again.
Around 8 p.m., pumice stones up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) across fell.
Then a violent whirlwind struck Saugur, blowing down nearly every house.
Pyroclastic flows raced down all peninsula sides to the sea.
When burning material reached water, it triggered tsunamis.
Tambora fell from 14,100 feet to just under 10,000.
NASA calls April 10th the largest eruption in recorded history.
A mountain can dominate a horizon until it becomes evidence.
The major explosions peaked across April 10th and 11th.
The Rajah of Sanggar said the mountain looked like liquid fire.
Pyroclastic flows wiped out entire villages during the eruption.
2004, scientists found a village's remains on Tambora.
Where it leaves off
As Tambora’s explosions peaked, entire villages stood in the path of something faster and deadlier than falling ash.
Sources
- 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.orgprimary
- This Day In History: Mount Tambora Explosively Erupts in 1815 | NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Servicenesdis.noaa.govsecondary
- Volcano Watch — Infamous Mount Tambora is rumbling again | U.S. Geological Surveyusgs.govprimary
- Mount Tambora and the Year Without a Summer | Center for Science Educationscied.ucar.edusecondary
- VolcanicDegassing | The great eruption of Tambora, April 1815blogs.egu.euprimary
- Mount Tambora Volcano, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia - NASA Sciencescience.nasa.govprimary
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