Facts About Mount Tambora

Mount Tambora is an active stratovolcano located in the northern part of Sumbawa in Lesser Sunda Island in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is also known as Tambora and is an active volcano known for the largest volcanic eruption in the 19th century. The combination of the volcanic eruption and tsunami led to an explosion of extreme magnitude, causing casualties of over tens of thousands of people. The April 1815 volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora is the largest volcanic eruption recorded in history, causing devastation around Sumbawa Island and causing climate change on a global level. The article will discuss the formation, description, and eruptions of Tambora.

Description of Mount Tambora

• The stratovolcano was formed from the active subduction zones beneath it. Such zones are formed when two tectonic plates, massive pieces of the Earth’s crust, meet. The plates collide in the subduction zones, causing a natural disaster. 
• Mount Tambora is at an elevation of 2,850 m or 9,350 ft from sea level. However, before the eruption of 1815, it was at an elevation of 14,100 feet and hence one of the tallest peaks in Indonesia. 
• The current depth of the caldera is 4101 ft, and the width of the caldera is 19685 ft. 
• It is part of the Sunda Arc, a chain of volcanic islands on the southern side of the Indonesia archipelago. 
• The peninsula formed by Tambora is known as Sanggar Peninsula and is formed on Sumbawa Island. 

Formation of Mount Tambora 

• It is located 340 km north of Java Trench. It is situated close to the upper surface of the active north-dipping subduction zone, making it prone to eruptions.
• Mount Tambora’s formation led to the draining of a large magma chamber that existed under the basin of the mountain. The mountain has a volcanic cone with a single central vent, causing a frequent eruption of lava.
• Tambora consists mainly of trachybasalt and trachyandesite rocks rich in potassium. The lava of Mount Tambora consists of many elements in abundance, like rubidium, phosphorus pentoxide, strontium, etc.
• The pyroclastic material that flowed out of the volcano after the 1815 eruption created layers of slopes in the mountain. The volcano is majorly in the form of basaltic lava flows.

Eruption history of Mount Tambora 

• The 1815 volcanic eruption was one of the most disastrous eruptions in the 19th century. The stratovolcano is the largest recorded eruption and measured 7 on the volcanic explosivity index (VEI). 
• It was the most destructive, leading to the expulsion of almost 150 cubic km of ash, pumice, aerosol, and rock. It is estimated to have also released nearly 60 megatons of sulphur, which caused global climate change.
• Mount Tambora’s volcanic eruption in 1815 prevented sunlight penetration into the surface of Earth. This impacted the global temperature bringing it down to 3°C.
• The impact of the initial eruption led to 10,000 deaths. It has a lasting deadly impact causing almost 80,000 regional deaths perished from disease and starvation.
• As per the results from radiocarbon dating, Tambora has erupted thrice before during the Holocene period. The lava flow filled the caldera, and it became active in 1812, with mounting pressure causing an eruption in 1815.
• Post the eruption, heavy volcanic ash rain was observed in Maluku Island, Borneo, Java, and Sulawesi.
• An estimated 120 million tons of sulphur released caused a dry fog, dimmed the sunlight, and led to a “year without a summer” in 1816 in the Northern Hemisphere.
• The last eruption recorded from the volcano was in the year 1967.

Exploration and Ecosystem of Mount Tambora

• The first person to ascend the summit of Mount Tambora was Swiss botanist Heinrich Zollinger. It was found that the ecosystem was covered with a layer of sulphur.
• The process of resettlement close to the mountain started in 1907, followed by the establishment of a coffee plantation in Pekat Village in the 1930s.
• According to a survey in 1896, there were almost 56 species of birds found in the volcanic ecosystem.
• At an altitude from 1,000 to 2,800 metres, it was found that a dense rain forest with majorly Duabanga moluccana trees covered 80,000 hectares of land.
• The Mount Tambora ecosystem was placed under conservation and upgraded to the position of National Park.
• The first expedition was carried out by a German research team called Geo research Volcanedo Germany to explore the caldera. Although the team managed to climb 1300 deep and stay for nine days, the lack of favourable conditions made extensive study impossible.
• Towards the southern part of the caldera, a small volcano called Doro Api Toi was discovered. It periodically lets gases escape under high pressure.

Conclusion 

Mount Tambora is an active stratovolcano that has led to the release of highly viscous lava combining the pyroclastic materials with ash. It is active and volatile, as it is located and formed by the subduction zones, which are always active due to the collision of the tectonic plates. One of the recorded and most disastrous eruptions in history was from Mount Tambora in 1815, leading to 10,000 casualties and subsequent deaths of 80,000 from starvation and disease. In summary, the eruption from the volcano has impacted the world in terms of climate and caused a “year without a summer” in the Northern Summer in 1816. It is located in a fragile location with its highest point current at an elevation of 9350 ft and is a part of the Sunda Arc within the Indonesian archipelago.