Eruption of Mount Tambora

Date: April 10, 1815 • Location: Pototano, Indonesia

Mount Tambora (pictured) in Indonesia began the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people and affecting temperatures worldwide.

Mount Tambora, or Tomboro, is an active stratovolcano in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Located on Sumbawa in the Lesser Sunda Islands, volcanism is the result of subduction zones. The 1815 eruption was the largest in recorded history, erupting up to 150 cubic kilometers of volcanic material, making it a VEI-7 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. This caused the summer of 1816 to become known as the "Year Without a Summer" due to global cooling from the eruption.