Indonesia's volcanoes : Travelling around the Ring of Fire

The power of these volcanoes can only be measured by the consequences they have had on our own history.

The eruption of Samalas or the largest eruption ever known

Let’s begin the story with the eruption of the Mount Samalas in 1257. This eruption will mark an unprecedented turning point. For centuries, scientists searched for the volcano that could be responsible for the climate cooling of 1257.

The remains of this volcano are located on the island of Lombok in the east of Bali. Today, only one caldera, called the Segara Anak caldera, remains near the current Rinjani volcano. The latter could be, according to some sources, the “little brother” of Samalas or rather what remains of it! Theeruption of Samalas was so huge that it generated an eruptive column reaching 43 km in height. It remains the largest eruption in 10,000 years. The ash cloud darkened the sky, resulting in less penetration of the sun.

Domestic consequences

The consequences were catastrophic. The eruption created a tsunami that devastated the islands around Sumbawa and Sumba. The capital of Lombok was shattered under a cloud of ash. It’s been called later the “Pompeii of the East”. The archaeological remains of this city of more than 10,000 inhabitants showed that it was one of the most important cities in the area at the time.

Besides the fact that Lombok remained practically uninhabitable for years, this eruption had consequences for Bali which was invaded by its Javanese enemy of the time (probably due to the weakening of economic and human resources due to the eruption) .

Global consequences

Although it is still difficult to prove the correlation, the years following the eruption see a drop of 1 degree Celsius in global temperature. Traces of writings in India, Europe and Japan attest to this phenomenon and to the economic and human consequences.

The population of London is said to have lost more than 10,000 of its 50,000 residents due to a great famine (20% of population loss at the time). In addition to Europe, the repercussions were also felt in China where the capture of some Chinese territories by the Mongols could be linked to a more adequate adaptation of the Mongols, just like the Turks who took over part of the territory from the Byzantines, who were more sedentary.

Samalas will continue to fuel scientific debates for a long time…

The eruption of Tombora in 1815

Tombora is a stratovolcano located on the island of Sumbawa in eastern Bali, in the current region of Nusa Tenggara. Its last eruption in 1815 remains one of the most documented episodes concerning the major eruptions of the last hundreds of years.

To give an idea of ​​the power of this eruption, it represents 10,000 times the combined power of the nuclear bombs of the Second World War. It is the deadliest eruption of modern times with more than 90,000 direct deaths.

This volcano rises from the shores of the Flores Sea and covers an area of ​​over 60 km inside land. Dull sounds of the eruption are heard over 2,000 km away. The catastrophe created waves of more than 10 meters high, causing devastation, famine and desolation.

Domestic consequences

Following the eruption dated April 10, 1815, the entire country was affected. The stories evoke dark days in Java where the birds only start to sing late in the morning. The air is unbreathable for several days and the sun has difficulty penetrating the atmosphere. The human toll is growing. Sumbawa was the most affected but the islands of Lombok and Bali counted more than 70,000 deaths according to some accounts.

The year without summer

While this event took place in Indonesia, it impacted the entire planet. Famines hit America, Asia and Europe. The concentration of ash in the atmosphere led to a year without summer and to the average global temperature cooling down to 3 degrees Celsius in 1816. The stories of the time tell of weekly snowfall in summer in the Alps. People are forced to migrate to countries like Brazil as the price of wheat doubles in America and Europe. The devastation is estimated at 200,000 deaths, which is considerable compared to the population at the time.

William Turner will paint flaming skies that reflect the reality of the time.

The eruption of Krakatoa in 1883

Krakatoa is a volcano located to the west of the tip of Java and its last eruption marked the spirits forever. Before its last explosion, the volcano was an island 9 km long by 5 km wide in the Java Sea. On August 26 and 27, the thunder of Zeus begins to roar. The first explosions were heard on the 26th as far as Australia, located thousands of kilometers away. Some witnesses to the explosion went deaf and the rumblings are heard over nearly 10% of the planet’s surface, making it the most powerful sound event in human history.

Huge waves over 40 meters break in Indonesia and sea water rises over 22 meters in parts of Java.

In Europe, more than 18,000 km away, there are significant variations in the sea waters.

The human toll is considerable. Floating dead bodies could be found in Africa more than a year after the eruption. More than 35,000 people died directly from the eruption. In the United States, residents called firefighters thinking that fires are taking place due to the colors of the flaming sky.

The inhabitants had to abandon the territories of West Java. This area now became a national park where nature has reclaimed its rights.