Mount Tambora

By Samuel Ford-Dirks

What and Where is Mount

Tambora?
Mount Tambora is a volcano in Indonesia
in Sumbawa.
It had one of the largest eruptions known
in history.

Local Effects of Mount Tambora

10,000 islanders were killed

almost immediately.
Tsunamis were sent out all
around the Java Sea.
Those tsunamis caused
extensive damage to the
ships around the harbor.

A Year Without Summer

When Mount Tambora erupted, tons of ash and gas were shot
into the atmosphere.
Global winds spread the dust and gas around the globe.
North America and Europe experienced the most negative
effects.
Because there was little light, crops could not get the nutrients
they needed and there was widespread starvation and crop
failure.
The global temperature dropped around 2 degrees C.
Over 90,000 people died due to the crop failure, freezing cold,
and starvation.

Mount Tambora cause and effects

Eruption

Caused a decrease in
sunlight

Year without
summer

The eruption caused a

massive amount (around
12 cubic miles of gases) to
be blasted into the
atmosphere. These gasses
spread around the world
due to global winds.

The gases made

something like a screen
that made the sunlight
that hit the earth reflect .
This caused a decrease in
sunlight that hit the earth
s surface.

The lack of sunlight

caused a colder year than
normal. Maine and New
England saw frost in June,
there was an epidemic in
Europe, and there was
crop failure throughout
North America.

Methods of Studying Volcanoes

Seismic monitoring
Studying Gas and Water Near Volcanoes
GPS and Deformation of Volcanoes
Thermal Monitoring

Method 1 of studying volcanoes

Seismic monitoring
Scientists put seismometers near volcanoes and it allows them to monitor when
magma is rising through the earth's crust. When magma rises, it makes the crust
move and bulge. Scientist can use seismographs to monitor this movement and
it allows them to tell if a volcanoes might erupt in the near future.
Effectiveness: I believe that this is relatively effective because it allows
scientists to tell whether a volcanoes is going to erupt in the near future.

Method 2 of studying volcanoes

Studying Gas and Water Near Volcanoes
When certain gas is emitted from volcanoes, volcanologists can determine
whether those gases indicate whether magma is present either nearby or in the
volcano. These gases can tell volcanologists how deep the magma is in the crust,
the type of magma, and the amount of magma.
Effectiveness: I believe that this is pretty effective because it allows scientists to
tell what is beneath the earths surface, but it does not tell specifically when the
volcano will erupt.

Method 3 of studying volcanoes

GPS and Deformation of Volcanoes
Scientists can use GPS to determine whether a volcano and its surrounding
surface is expanding or shifting in any way. The GPSs are able to determine
where the ground is moving and is accurate by a fraction of an inch. This can
determine if the volcano is bulging due to the increase of magma.
Effectiveness: I believe that this is less effective than the previous methods
because it only allows you to create a 3D map of what is happening and possibly
figure out what is causing the magma to rise, but it does not let you accurately
figure out when the volcano will erupt.

Method 4 of studying volcanoes

Thermal Monitoring
In this method, infrared devices either airborne, on land, or mobile
devices measure how heat is changing near the volcano. If there is
magma near the surface the infrared devices will measure that heat.
Effectiveness: Because the infrared devices typically read the heat
from the volcano if the magma is near the surface, then I believe that
this is better at predicting volcanic eruptions and is more effective
than some other methods.

What Caused Mount Tambora?

Mount Tambora was caused
by the Eurasian and the
Australian Plate colliding.
The Australian Plate is
sliding under the Eurasian
Plate.
Boundary: Convergent
Subduction Zone

Damage Prevention Methods

The first is a lava diversion plan:
Some trenches or walls are
built to guide lava away from
towns or cities.
Other people use cold salt
water to slow the flow of lava.
Another less effective method
is to bomb the lava however it
has to be precise or it will
cause more damage than
before.

Damage Prevention Methods

Houses can be reinforced with

reinforced roofs.
Houses can also have
reinforced windows so as not to
let in ash.
Chimneys can also be covered
to not let ash in.
Bring your vehicles, animals,
and machines indoors and
having a barn or garage can
help with the damages.

Damage Prevention Methods

People can be evacuated to
safer places if a volcano is
about to erupt or is in the
process of erupting.
Or instead of people settling
near volcanoes due to the
fertile soil they can farther
away from the volcano.

Works Cited
"USGS: Volcano Hazards Program." USGS: Volcano Hazards Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"GCSE Revision Reducing the Impacts." GCSE Revision Reducing the Impacts. N.p., n.d. Web. 15
Mar. 2016.
"The Eruption Of Mount Tambora: Causes, Event, Effect | Online Homework Help | SchoolWorkHelper."
Online Homework Help SchoolWorkHelper. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Mount Tambora Volcano, Sumbawa Island, Indonesia : Image of the Day."Mount Tambora Volcano,
Sumbawa Island, Indonesia : Image of the Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.
"Blast from the Past." Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.