[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by sounding

Anytime some complains about the unprecedented temperatures, just remind them about the unprecedented Tonga volcano. Javier Vinos just published this excellent analysis of what we know so far ... Hunga Tonga volcano: impact on record warming | Climate Etc.

Pre-Hunga Gonga, The Mt. Tambora volcano in Indonesia back in 1815 is arguably known as the deadliest, killing an estimated 100,000 immediately, but: “What happened after Tambora is that there was three years of climate change,” he says. “The world got colder, and the weather systems changed completely for three years. And so you had widespread crop failure and starvation all from Asia to the United States to Europe.” (History dot com). And THAT says nothing about the Cholera pandemic, crop failures and mass starvation that plagued the earth for years after.

That was just one. Top Ten worst in the Common Era after Tambora include Krakatoa in 1883, Laki (Iceland) in 1783, Mt. Pelee (Caribbean) in 1902, Ilopango (El Salvador) in 450 AD Mt. Unzen (Japan) 1792, Nevado del Ruiz (Columbia) 1985, Mt. Pinatubo, (Philippines) 1991, Mt. Vesuvius, (Italy) 79 AD; and Santa Maria (Guatemala) 1902. (List from Australian Geographic website). And that list doesn't even include our own pet volcano Mt. St. Helens! That is just ten that we know about. There were probably multiples more than that throughout history.

Mankind's efforts to control the environment on our rock seem pretty puny when Mama Nature decides to blow her top.