Recently, the world has been watching the eruption of the volcano in Tonga, fearing the impact it will have on our lives. The Tonga volcanic eruption throws large amounts of volcanic material into the atmosphere, posing a potential threat to the global climate. It is understandable that climate events often play an important role in human history. Now, we'll look back at a series of historic volcanic eruptions and see how they changed the course of history.
First, let's go back to the lava eruption in Campania, Italy, about 40,000 years ago. The eruption released about 300 cubic kilometers of lava and 450,000 tons of sulphur dioxide, throwing volcanic material 70 kilometers into the stratosphere, covering the entire Eastern European and Mediterranean coasts. Plant life has been severely damaged and it will take more than a decade to recover. This volcanic eruption had a profound impact on the course of European history. As temperatures dropped dramatically and the world fell into an ice age, Neanderthals were unable to adapt to the extremely cold climate, and their ancestors of modern Europeans gradually replaced them. Humans in other areas also migrate with changes in the environment.
Fast forward to 934 AD, and the eruption of Mount Katla in southern Iceland was also a far-reaching event. The eruption, which lasted for six years, released 219 million tons of sulphur, causing major changes in the global climate. The eruption of the Katra volcano indirectly affected the course of Chinese history. Between 939 and 942 AD, the eruption of the Katla volcano caused significant cooling worldwide. The "History of Liao" records that in July 939 AD, heavy snow fell in the middle of summer in southeastern Inner Mongolia. In the winter of the same year, Bianliang (now Kaifeng) experienced a long period of heavy snow and three years of extreme cold. The Central Plains suffered from severe famine, and the national strength of the Later Jin Dynasty was seriously damaged. The cold climate made life difficult for the Khitan people, and they had no choice but to go south to invade the Central Plains, thus establishing Daliao. The Khitan invasion eventually led to the demise of Later Jin.
In 1257, the eruption of Mount Rinjani in Indonesia caused the West Lake to freeze and the temperature plummeted, causing food shortages. Both Mongol and Khitan armies went south to seize the rich land of the Han. The brothers Meng Ge and Kublai Khan led an army to attack the Song Dynasty. When attacking south, Meng Ge died under Diaoyu City. This event changed world history. Mongo's death sparked strife between brothers, and the Mongol Empire began to split. In addition, Xu Lieqiu led his army east to support Kublai Khan, leading to the end of the Mongol Western Expedition. Many countries in Europe and Africa escaped the invasion of the Mongol cavalry.
The largest volcanic eruption in history occurred in South America, the Enaptina volcano eruption in 1600, and this eruption was so powerful that it reached the level of 7 disaster. The volcanic activity lasted more than a month, erupting about 30 cubic kilometers of debris. Volcanic mudslides devastated multiple villages, killing more than 1,500 people and burying 10 villages. It will take 150 years for the nearby agricultural economy to fully recover. However, the indirect death toll from this eruption is even more staggering, reaching 2 million. This event sparked the famous "Xiaoice River Age", a period of ice and snow that lasted for many years and had a huge impact on the world.
We then recall the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, which was 62,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The eruption not only killed at least 70,000 people, but also caused global climate anomalies. The year 1816 is known as the "Year Without Summer" and saw famine, disease, social unrest, and economic decline around the world. The most far-reaching impact was on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, where famine and disease killed more than 100,000 people. The Jiaqing famine was also a serious event that lasted for three years and caused widespread famine in Yunnan.
These events show us how small changes on the planet have had a huge impact on human history, underscoring the importance of our protection of the planet.