‘1831 mystery solved’: Remote volcano froze Earth, now scientists fear its return
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Mysterious Cooling
In 1831, a massive volcanic eruption cooled the Northern Hemisphere, but its location remained unknown for nearly 200 years.
Eureka Match
William Hutchison’s team identified the Zavaritskii volcano on Simushir Island as the culprit by matching volcanic ash from Greenland ice cores to samples from the caldera.
Ash Chemistry
The ash shards’ chemistry revealed a “Plinian eruption” similar to Vesuvius, forming Zavaritskii’s striking caldera.
Global Impact
The eruption spewed enough volcanic material to cool the planet by 1°C, affecting crops and causing famine.
False Leads
Previous theories blamed eruptions at Babuyan Claro in the Philippines and Graham Island in Sicily, but ash chemistry disproved these.
Remote Challenge
Remote volcanoes like Zavaritskii evade detection without modern tools, highlighting the 1831 event’s elusive nature.
Crater Evidence
The Zavaritskii caldera, visible even from space, serves as undeniable proof of the catastrophic eruption.
Unpredictable Threat
Hutchison warns that similar remote volcanoes could erupt again, with devastating global consequences.
Call for Action
Published in PNAS, the study urges international collaboration to monitor and prepare for future large-scale eruptions.