Nearly 200 years after a powerful volcanic eruption cooled Earth’s climate, scientists have identified the source of the mystery: Zavaritskii volcano, located in the remote Kuril Islands. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

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How the 1831 eruption affected the world 

The eruption’s impact was catastrophic, with widespread famine and hardship reported across Northern Hemisphere regions like India, Japan and Europe. Crop failures exacerbated by cooler and drier conditions left millions struggling to survive. The eruption led to a 1-degree Celsius drop in temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere, causing cooler and drier conditions. 

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Using advanced tools to trace the volcano

Advanced techniques like geochemical analysis, radioactive dating, and computer modelling helped scientists trace the volcanic material to the Zavaritskii volcano in the Kuril Islands. 

Ice cores help solve the mystery

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Scientists studied ice cores from Greenland, which contained ash and sulfur from the eruption. They found that sulfur levels in Greenland were much higher than in Antarctica, proving the eruption took place in the Northern Hemisphere. 

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One of the strongest eruptions of the 19th century

Zavaritskii’s eruption is now recognised as one of the most powerful volcanic events of the 19th century, alongside Mount Tambora in Indonesia (1815) and Cosegüina in Nicaragua (1835). These eruptions marked the end of the Little Ice Age, a time of cooler global temperatures. The 1831 eruption had a huge impact on the planet. It caused food shortages, famine, and suffering in many regions. The eruption showed how volcanic activity, even from remote places, can affect the whole world’s climate.

(With inputs from agencies)