Answer

Mount Tambora Eruption

As Strahler and Strahler (2013) substantiate, “When lava is violently forced out of a volcano, in the form of a volcanic eruption, it results in one of the most severe environmental hazards on the planet.” This paper delves in to the Tambora eruption as a historically significant volcanic eruption stating reasons why it classifies it as so.

In 1815, an obscure mountain in Indonesia blew up in a volcanic eruption on the island of Sumbawa. Estimations dictate that nearly 10, 000 residents of the island died and over 12 cubic miles of gases, dust and rock were blasted into the atmosphere (Evans, 2002). This eruption particularly caught my attention because it is regarded as the deadliest eruption in history. Even the famous Krakatoa eruption, which occurred in 1883 in Indonesia, cannot be compared to the Tambora eruption. Although it had a greater direct impact with a death toll of 36, 000, its secondary effects when compared to the Tambora eruption make it less deadly (Wood, 2014). The Tambora eruption further piqued my interest as it was among the very first mountains to prove that the after-math of a volcanic eruption is worse and kills far more people than the actual eruption. For three years after the Tambora eruption, the climate changed significantly. It was very cold resulting in massive crop failure in Asia, Europe and other continents such as the United States (Wood, 2014). Such starvation resulted in the death of many more people. Wood (2014) explains that it is difficult to know the exact number of the people who died as a result of starvation but it would probably be a million people.

In summary, Tambora eruption is a historically significant eruption since it is regarded as one of the deadliest eruptions and also because it was among the very first mountains to prove that the after-math of a volcanic eruption is worse and kills far more people than the actual eruption.