The Largest Eruption Nobody Knows About Krakatoa, Novarupta, Mt. St Helen’s and Pinatubo are s
The Largest Eruption Nobody Knows AboutKrakatoa, Novarupta, Mt. St Helen’s and Pinatubo are some of the most well known volcanic eruptions of the past two hundred years, but none of them were the largest. Instead, these eruptions are well known because of the time period in which they erupted. The telegraph established itself in the 1850’s, which made the world a much smaller place. News was now able to be transmitted around the globe orders of magnitude faster.Krakatoa, which erupted in 1883, was being talked about in the United States a few hours after its eruption. The same rings true for the other three volcanoes on the list. They erupted in 1912, 1980 and 1991, respectively. The latter two erupted in the era of television where news could be relayed in minutes, accompanied by visual footage. It is this reason why these volcanoes are at the forefront of our brain when we think devastating volcanic eruptions.Mount Tambora is an active Stratovolcano on the Sumbawa peninsula in Indonesia. Its eruption two hundred years ago, in 1815, is the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. Ten times stronger than the Krakatoa eruption, it is speculated that it may be the most destructive volcanic eruption of the past 10,000 years. Around 10,000 people were killed instantly by the eruption and another 80,000 died from starvation in the following months. Ash rained down for months. 1816 became known as the year without a summer in North America and Europe due to climatic effects of such a large eruption. Because Mount Tambora erupted before the advent of the telegraph, it has escaped the minds of many.It is important to realize the power that the earth possesses and the connectivity of our atmosphere. Events that happen in Indonesia can influence what happens on the other side of the world in Europe and North America.More reading: http://bit.ly/1sPH2gwMore reading: http://bit.ly/1CaaVNoPhoto courtesy of Jialiang Gao -- source link
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