Earth
Rather than a volcanic winter, the Toba eruption 74,000 years ago resulted in several years of warm and dry weather, geochemical evidence from India suggests
Volcano eruptions can influence the climate by releasing sulphur dioxide
Shutterstock/Daniel Lopez Toriello
The largest volcanic eruption in human history resulted in a few years of warm weather, according to an analysis of ancient sediments, and not a severe volcanic winter as some researchers had thought.
The Toba supervolcano, located on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, erupted 74,000 years ago, shooting thousands of cubic kilometres of volcanic material into the atmosphere.
“There is no doubt that the Toba super-eruption was colossal,” says Michael Petraglia…
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
