1815 Eruption of Mount Tambora

• King, Hobart. 'Volcanic Explosivity Index: Measuring The Size Of An Eruption'. Geology.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 16 May 2015.
• McNamara, Robert. 'Learn About The 19Th Century's Largest Volcanic Eruption'. About.com Education. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 May 2015.
• McNamara, Robert. 'Why 1816 Was The Year Without A Summer'. About.com Education. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 May 2015.
• Prevention, Centers. 'Protecting Yourself During A Volcanic Eruption|Volcanoes'. Emergency.cdc.gov. N.p., 2015. Web. 16 May 2015.
• St. Rosemary Educational Institution. "The Eruption of Mount Tambora: Causes, Event, Effect." http://schoolworkhelper.net/. St. Rosemary Educational Institution, Last Update: 2015. Web. Retrieved on: Wednesday 20th May 2015. http://schoolworkhelper.net/eruption-mount-tambora-causes-event-effect/.
• Wood, Chuck, Scott Rowland, and Mike Conway. 'How Do Volcanologists Predict Volcanic Eruptions?'. Volcano World : Supplement. N.p., 2009. Web. 16 May 2015.

Rationale

For this task, I aimed to create an informative presentation on the eruption of Mount Tambora. I chose to write about this specific eruption because of the mass destruction that the eruption made and how it impacted society at the time. Not many people knew about this eruption despite the amount of damage it caused and I wanted to make it more known.

To make this presentation creative and informative, I used a range of techniques to get the final product. Prezi is the software that I used because it gives a creative looking product while also being able to present the information in a productive way. I also used some photos throughout the presentation to make it more appealing and suitable for a year 9 audience.

The hardest part of this assignment was researching how plate tectonics had a role in my disaster. It was difficult to find specific information on the formation of the volcano and how the plates would have made the eruption happen. In the end, I found some information to get me started, then I used what I already knew to do the rest. I found that the easiest part of this assignment was explaining the event itself. It was easy to find all the information I needed. I think that the most interesting part of this assignment was discovering that the eruption was not very well known. Despite the bigger impact this eruption had, other volcanoes were much more famous.

If I had to do this assignment again, I'd try to present the information in a different way. Although it was fun to create this Prezi, I think it would be interesting to see the task completed in another way.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome of this presentation and I think I met all of my goals. my Prezi was informative and more people now know about the eruption. I am happy with how the presentation looks.

Plate Tectonics in Mount Tambora

Will this Kind of Eruption Happen Again at Mount Tambora?

As the Australian and Eurasian plates moved towards one another, the denser Australian plate slid under the Eurasian plate, causing a subduction zone. This created a deep trench which formed the volcano. The Australian plate, drenched with water, helped melt the magma and when the magma reached the surface, the volcano was created over the course of millions of years. After the formation of the volcano, the magma moved upwards, eventually making the eruption.

Since Mount Tambora is still an active volcano, it is constantly making small eruptions. However, eruptions at a VEI7 severity only happen every 10000 years. This makes it unlikely that Mount Tambora will make an identical eruption in our lifetime. However there is still a chance that a similar eruption will happen again to the same volcano or one like it in the same region because all the volcanoes in the Australian-Eurasian plate boundary area have a similar structure and therefore are expected to make similar eruptions as Mount Tambora.

The Eruption

The two plate boundaries

Plate boundaries around the world

How do Scientists Detect Volcano Eruptions?

The eruption of Mount Tambora happened on the remote Indonesian island Sumbawa. The eruption was at its peak on April 10 1815. It started to erupt on April 5th 1815 and continued to make eruptions for another three months. Smaller rumbles and eruptions continued further and can still happen today. The volcano's eruption on April 10th was the most severe, causing the whole villiage of Tambora to be destroyed and causing tsunamis across most of South-East Asia. However, like most other natural disasters, the aftermath of the eruption was worse. 1816 is often referred to as 'The Year Without A Summer'. It was given this name because of the mass amounts of smoke and ash pumped out of the volcano which covered up the sun and made it darker and colder for a whole year, all around the world. The dropped temperatures had led to major crop- growing problems, resulting in a further amount of deaths. This eruption had caused a famine in the Northern Hemisphere which killed many crops, cattle and people.

Volcanology is the science of studying volcanos. Volcanologists try to predict a volcano’s eruption by the activity and signs that the volcanoes show, such as smoke coming from the volcano or small rumbles. Often these signs will signal that an eruption is coming. Seismometers are also used in locating earthquakes within the volcano, which track the rise of magma and its movement along cracks in the volcano. Gasses that signal volcano activity can also be used to detect an eruption.

Smoke coming from volcano can signal an eruption

Earthquakes also signal volcanic activity

How Severe Was The Eruption?

In total it is estimated that over 71 000 people were killed by the effects and after effects of the Mount Tambora eruption. The actual eruption killed over 11 000 people, however it was the year without a summer that killed about 60 000 more people. The severity of a volcano eruption can be measured in VEI, Volcanic Explosivity Index, which is a scale to measure how severe a volcanic eruption was. The scale typically ranges from 1-7, however it is sometimes seen as 0-8. On the typical scale, 1 is 'gentle' and 7 is 'mega-colossal'. The eruption of Mount Tambora measured as a 7 on the scale and there are only a few other cases with the same severity, occurring tens of thousands of years before the Tambora eruption. When the scale is sometimes labeled 0-8, 0 is 'effusive' and 8 is 'apocalyptic'. There are some cases of an 8 occurring hundreds of thousands of years ago and a 0 is the constant state of a volcano. An eruption with a VEI7 only occurs approximately every 10,000 years.

How To Survive a Volcanic Eruption

If a volcanic eruption were to occur, the most important thing to do is to listen to local officials whose purpose is to provide information on how to evacuate or take shelter where you are. If you are in danger of a flow of lava and/or ash heading towards you, attempt to evacuate immediately. If this is impossible, try to find shelter indoors. Once indoors, close all doors, windows, fireplace dampers and other access to outside. Turn off all heating and air-conditioning systems and bring pets and livestock into closed shelters. If you are outdoors and caught in a rock fall, roll into a ball to protect your head. If there is a water substance nearby, move away and/or uphill to stay safe from rising waters. If burns occur, try to seek care for them straight away and cover your eyes, ears, mouth and nose to help protect from ash inhalation. Unfortunately, if a VEI7 eruption were to occur again, there would be a small to impossible chance of survival because of the high severity. However, since 1815 other dangerous eruptions such as Mount St. Helen's has lead to scientists being able to detect volcanic eruptions at a faster and more efficient rate. If we were able to detect an eruption fast enough, there might be enough time to get people evacuated.

1815 Eruption of Mount Tambora