Massive volcanic eruptions that cooled the world
Explosive volcanoes can propel plumes of sulfur dioxide miles above the Earth’s surface into the stratosphere. Here they form aerosols, able to reflect sunlight away, resulting in a global cooling effect.
Major volcanic eruptions in terms of stratospheric sulfur injection level and year of eruption
Okmok,
Alaska, US
43 BC
Katla,
Iceland
939
Laki,
Iceland
1783
Mount
Parker,
Phillippines
1640
Zavaritskii,
Russia
1831
Ilopango,
El Salvador
431*
Samalas,
Indonesia
1257
Huaynaputina,
Peru
1600
Tambora,
Indonesia
1815
Kuwae,
Vanuatu
1458**
Okmok, Alaska, US: Ash blocked sunlight, leading to
two of the coldest years in the past 2,500 years,
triggering drought and famine
Samalas, Indonesia: One of the largest eruptions of
the past 7,000 years, some scientists believe
it helped trigger the "Little Ice Age"
Tambora, Indonesia: Resulted in a 1-degree-Celsius
cooling of the Northern Hemisphere and ushered in
“the year without summer”
Okmok,
Alaska, US
43 BC
Katla,
Iceland
939
Laki,
Iceland
1783
Zavaritskii,
Russia
1831
Mount Parker,
Phillippines
1640
Ilopango,
El Salvador
431*
Samalas,
Indonesia
1257
Huaynaputina,
Peru
1600
Tambora,
Indonesia
1815
Kuwae,
Vanuatu
1458**
Okmok, Alaska, US: Ash blocked sunlight, leading to two of the
coldest years in the past 2,500 years, triggering drought and famine
Samalas, Indonesia: One of the largest eruptions of the past 7,000
years, some scientists believe it helped trigger the "Little Ice Age"
Tambora, Indonesia: Resulted in a 1-degree-Celsius cooling of the
Northern Hemisphere and ushered in “the year without summer”
Zavaritskii, Russia
1831
Laki, Iceland
1783
Katla,
Iceland
939
Okmok,
Alaska, US
43 BC
Mount Parker,
Phillippines
1640
Ilopango,
El Salvador
431*
Ash blocked sunlight,
leading to two of the
coldest years in the past
2,500 years, triggering
drought and famine
Samalas, Indonesia
1257
One of the largest eruptions
of the past 7,000 years,
some scientists believe
it helped trigger the
"Little Ice Age"
Huaynaputina,
Peru
1600
Tambora, Indonesia
1815
Kuwae,
Vanuatu
1458**
Resulted in a 1-degree-
Celsius cooling of the
Northern Hemisphere and
ushered in “the year
without summer”
