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The volcano that cooled the planet in 1831 has been discovered! One of the biggest climate questions in history finally has an answer
In 1831, a catastrophic event altered the global climate. A previously unknown volcano erupted, spewing ash that darkened the sky and reduced temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere. Harvests failed, famine spread, and the volcano's location remained a mystery for almost two centuries.
Now, scientists led by volcanologist William Hutchison from the University of St. Andrews in the UK have confirmed that the culprit was the Zavaritskii volcano, located in Simushir, in the remote Kuril Islands between Russia and Japan.
The discovery was made possible by analyzing ash preserved in Greenland ice sheets, which perfectly matched samples from the Zavaritskii caldera.
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Oleg Dirksen )
The discovery of the volcano
According to Hutchison, identifying the volcano was a landmark moment. “It took years of collaboration with colleagues in Japan and Russia, who sent samples collected decades ago from these remote volcanoess”, he reported.
Analysis revealed that the ash from the ice cores was identical to that from Zavaritskii, solving the historical enigma.
The highly explosive eruption left a huge volcanic caldera – the remnants of its destructive force. It is estimated that the event released enough material to cool the global climate by up to 1°C, an impact comparable to the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines.
Debunked theories and new advances
Before the discovery, other hypotheses tried to explain the 1831 phenomenon. The first suggested the Babuyan Claro volcano in the Philippines, but recent analyses have disproved this idea. Another possibility was Graham Island in the Strait of Sicily, but the chemical composition of the ash there did not match the ice samples either.
Based on the characteristics of the sulfur and the chemistry of the ash, Hutchison's team concluded that the 1831 eruption occurred in the Northern Hemisphere and had characteristics of a Plinian eruption, similar to that of Vesuvius in AD 79.
Microscopic fragments of volcanic glass preserved in the ice confirmed the match with the Zavaritskii.
NASA )
Impacts and warning for the future
Events like this highlight the ongoing risk posed by remote and poorly studied volcanoes. Hutchison warns that these volcanoes could erupt again, causing global impacts.We need to monitor isolated volcanoes more closely”, he emphasized.
He also highlighted the need for internationally coordinated responses to mitigate the damage from future catastrophic eruptions.
Furthermore, the research highlights the importance of investigating lesser-known volcanoes. Although the impact of the 1831 eruption was devastating, much can still be learned from these events to help prepare for future natural disasters.
The importance of modern science
In 1831, humanity lacked sophisticated tools to monitor volcanic activity, such as global seismic sensors or satellites. This explains why an event of such magnitude went unnoticed for so long.
Today, technological advances make it possible to identify even the most remote volcanoes, but there is still much to be done.
The full research was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, marking a significant advance in the study of historical volcanic events.
