fast on the slow lane

End of 1815 — A Dutch colonist was having his daily cup of tea on his verandah. His Javanese servants scurried around as they performed their household duties. The plantation was looking marvellous. Then, the skies darkened and he tasted ash in his mouth, washed down his throat by the mouthful of tea he sipped. He looked down and saw the letter he was writing covered with a fine film of dust. He looked up and saw only darkness.

Miles away — back on the soil of his ancestors — people milled around, eagerly awaiting the coming of spring and summer of 1816. Mothers sat planning elaborate feasts, fathers planned for their sons’ apprenticeship. The sky was blue and the promise of another fine year beckoned them out of their bed. They were none-the-wiser to what will befall them, as ash clouds marched up from the carcass of Tambora — intent on enveloping the world with a thick blanket of smoke.

They would soon regret waking up from their dream, into a nightmare. It was meant to be a year without summer. (From BBC Timewatch 2005, “A Year Without Summer”)

Setauku, letusan paling hebat adalah letusan Gunung Krakatau yang bertengger di Selat Sunda itu. Setidaknya itulah pakem yang diajarkan oleh guru ilmu bumi. Seluruh orang kantor kutanyakan: “Letusan paling hebat di satu dunia ini… letusan gunung apa, hayo?” Dan semuanya menjawab Krakatau!

Tapi, ternyata mungkin bukan begitu. Menurut informasi yang didapat dari berbagai sumber di Internet dan juga dari filem dokumenter BBC di atas itu, ternyata letusan Gunung Tambora yang terletak di Sumbawa, jauh lebih hebat (baik dari skala volume maupun korban jiwa). Hanya saja, letusan yang terjadi hampir 70 tahun sebelum letusan Gunung Krakatau kurang tercatat dengan baik.

Using the Volcanic Explosivity Index as a guide, Tambora (VEI=7) was more explosive than the 1883 eruption of Krakatau (VEI=6). The initial explosion of the 1815 eruption of Tambora was larger than the explosion of Krakatau. At Tambora, the caldera collapsed and about (40 cubic kilometers) of ash were erupted. The eruption at Krakatau Krakatau was heard 2,500 miles (4,000 km) away. The volume of the eruption is estimated to be 4 cubic miles (18 cubic km). (From Volcano World FAQ)

in 1815, the eruption of Mt. Tambora, Indonesia, resulted in an extremely cold spring and summer in 1816, which became known as the year without a summer. The Tambora eruption is believed to be the largest of the last ten thousand years. New England and Europe were hit exceptionally hard. Snowfalls and frost occurred in June, July and August and all but the hardiest grains were destroyed. Destruction of the corn crop forced farmers to slaughter their animals. Soup kitchens were opened to feed the hungry. Sea ice migrated across Atlantic shipping lanes, and alpine glaciers advanced down mountain slopes to exceptionally low elevations. (From V. Camp)

Sepuluh ribu orang meninggal seketika akibat letusan Tambora. Setidaknya 82,000 jiwa kemudian meninggal akibat kelaparan dan musim dingin.

Apabila letusan Krakatau memberi inspirasi bagi E. Munch untuk melukiskan “The Scream”, maka letusan Tambora disebut-sebut sebagai sumber inspirasi Mary Shelly ketika menulis karya sohornya, “Frankenstein”. Ketika itu, Shelley sedang melancong ke Swiss. Beliau mengamati betapa gelap dan putus asanya kehidupan orang Eropa ketika musim dingin yang panjang itu. Dari yang kaya hingga yang paling miskin, tidak ada yang luput dari bencana kelaparan dan dingin yang menusuk tulang.

Tersebut juga, pelukis ternama asal Inggris, JMW Turner, yang terkenal karena cara beliau melukis langit. Banyak ahli yang percaya bahwa warna-warna mencolok dan seringkali tragis yang dipilih Turner sedikit banyak mencerminkan keadaan daratan (dan langit, tentunya) Eropa akibat letusan Tambora.

Ah. Bingung mau bilang apa lagi. Sebenernya masih banyak sih yang bisa diceritain, misalnya perjalanan dan perjuangan Napoleon berperang melawan musuh (atau calon jajahan) dan iklim laknat ini. Silakan ke Wikipedia untuk informasi lebih lanjut tentang: Gunung Tambora dan Tahun tanpa Musim Panas.

Kalau ada salah informasi, tolong aku dikasih tau ya, biar bisa diganti. Ntar kalo salah info ke para ponakan, berabe bukan?