Scottish Scientists Unravel Two-Century-Old Enigma of a Volcano Eruption

Nearly two centuries prior, a colossal volcanic eruption triggered a global temperature drop of about one degree Celsius, yet the origin of this enigmatic eruption remained unknown.

Now, in a report published on Monday (30 December) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of St Andrews in Scotland disclosed that the eruption of 1831 took place on a distant, uninhabited island currently contested between Russia and Japan.

The researchers, who managed to establish a “perfect fingerprint match” for the ash residue from the eruption through chemical analysis of ice core data, traced the event back to the Zavaritskii volcano on the island of Simushir, which is part of the Kuril Islands. Presently, these islands are utilized as a significant military outpost by Russia.

The study was conducted by Dr. Will Hutchinson from the School of Earth and Environmental Science at the university, who remarked: “Only recently have we acquired the capability to retrieve microscopic ash fragments from polar ice cores and perform detailed chemical examinations on them. These fragments are extraordinarily tiny, approximately one-tenth the width of a human hair.

“We examined the chemical composition of the ice at a very high temporal resolution. This enabled us to accurately date the eruption to the spring-summer of 1831, confirm that it was highly explosive, and recover the minuscule ash particles.

“Identifying the match was a lengthy process and necessitated significant collaboration with peers in Japan and Russia, who provided us with samples gathered from these isolated volcanoes decades ago,” he added.

The eruption of the Zavaritskii volcano, despite its remote location, had a notable global impact on climate and severe repercussions for human communities, the researchers stated. They contend that determining the origins of these mysterious eruptions is vital, as it enables scientists to chart and monitor the areas on Earth most prone to climate-altering volcanic incidents.

Last year, a volcano in Iceland erupted seven times after a series of earthquakes struck the Reykjanes peninsula in late 2023, prompting specialists to caution that the peninsula may experience recurring volcanic eruptions for decades.

Suhasini Srinivasaragavan

This article first appeared on www.siliconrepublic.com and can be accessed here