It turns out that the most dangerous volcanoes are often the ones we know the least about! That’s the lesson of new research that finally pinpoints the culprit behind the 1831 global cold snap.
And SoleilSoleil Blue! This is what the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere were able to contemplate when they woke up one day in August 1831. Just as we’re in the middle of summer, a strange cold snap hits. For several months, this Weather reportWeather report A complete anomaly would then damage crops, leading to famine in India and Japan.
Multiple suspects
At this time, it is difficult to identify the cause. Climate changeClimate change Brutality that will go down in history. Testimonies, and especially the presence of a large quantity SulphurSulphur In the ice of Greenland and Antarctica, however, they are clear enough for us to know today that they are the results of a large volcanic eruption. But which one?
During the course of the study, the perpetrator actually changed his name several times. Is it the Babuyan Claro Volcano, located in the Philippines? Or in Ferdinandea, Sicily?
A very sensible criminal
Neither, suggests a new study published in the journal PNAS. A detailed analysis of the ice core has indeed made it possible to show that SulfidesSulfides They were formed from the stratosphere found in glacial environments.AerosolAerosol Volcanic, meaning a powerful eruption. However, if Ferdinandia did indeed break out in 1831, the activity seems to have been moderate.
Ultimately, it was chemical analysis of the tiny ash particles that led to the identification of the culprit. The results showed a low rate. PotassiumPotassiuma very characteristic signature, commonly associated with Japanese volcanoes and the Krill Islands. There are no archives testifying to the 1831 eruption in Japan, so researchers focused on this long Russian archipelago of volcanic islands.
Chemical comparisons of several of these with volcanic ash made Zwaritsky the prime suspect. This smart and highly isolated volcano on Samoshir Island appears today in one form. CalderaCaldera. Reconstruction of intensityintensity And climate forcing shows that it can be responsible for the remarkable cooling. ClimateClimate Recorded between 1831 and 1833.
