Mount Tambora eruption and the historical impact of volcanic cooling

A study published in the 2026 Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences examines how large volcanic eruptions act as a significant geologic force influencing human history. Volcanologists, including Clive Oppenheimer of the University of Cambridge, analyzed 38 major eruptions to link geologic events with climate effects and their subsequent societal consequences.

A primary example is the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in present-day Indonesia, which killed over 71,000 people locally. The eruption released climate-cooling aerosols that led to extreme weather globally, most notably during 1816, often called ‘the year without a summer.’

These climatic shifts caused widespread crop failures, including corn in New England, rice and buckwheat in China, and wheat, oats, and potatoes in Ireland. Such disruptions contributed to rising food prices, social unrest, riots, and the potential spread of diseases like typhus.