History unlocked: 1831 eruption's impact and global lessons
Scientists from the University of St Andrews have discovered that the 1831 eruption of the Zavaritskii volcano on Simushir Island led to global cooling and famines. They are now calling for a coordinated international response should a similar eruption occur again.
A team of scientists from the University of St Andrews has solved the mystery of a volcanic eruption that almost 200 years ago caused global cooling and widespread famines. For years, researchers struggled to pinpoint the exact location of the volcanic eruption. Though they were aware such an event had occurred, determining its precise location was elusive. Finally, with the efforts of Dr. Will Hutchison from the University of St Andrews, they succeeded in identifying the location.
Scientists' discovery
The eruption took place in the spring or summer of 1831. Under Hutchison's leadership, scientists analyzed ice cores and found a precise match of ashes. The task was challenging because the size of ash fragments in ice cores is about ten times smaller than a human hair.
Dr. Hutchison highlighted that only recently have techniques been developed to extract microscopic ash fragments and analyze their chemical composition in detail. "We analysed the chemistry of the ice at a very high temporal resolution. This allowed us to pinpoint the precise timing of the eruption to spring-summer 1831," said Dr. Hutchison.
International cooperation
The research required extensive cooperation with colleagues from Japan and Russia, who provided samples from these remote volcanoes. "The moment in the lab when we analysed the two ashes together, one from the volcano and one from the ice core, was a genuine eureka moment," added Dr. Hutchison. Thanks to this collaboration, it was established that the studied samples matched those from the Kuril Islands—specifically Simushir Island.
Simushir Island, currently under Russian control, served as a strategic military base. During the Cold War, the Soviets used it as a secret base for submarines. The research highlights how poorly studied the Kuril Islands are, despite their high volcanic activity. It is here that the volcano responsible for global cooling 200 years ago is located.
Dr. Hutchison noted that there are many similar volcanoes, making it difficult to predict the next large-scale eruptions. "As scientists and as a society, we need to consider how to coordinate an international response when the next large eruption, like the one in 1831, happens," he urged.
