Many people considered 2020 to be the worst year in recent memory.
However, that year does not even compare to an even worse time, the entirety of 536 AD.
During that year, a global cataclysm marked the beginning of the dark ages, causing the
amount of sunlight around the planet to decrease by 66% for more than 18 months.
Around the planet, this decrease in sunlight and temperature caused extreme and unusual
weather events, alongside a winter which seemingly did not end.
As said by a Byzantine historian at the time, "for the sun gave forth its light without
brightness, like the moon, during this whole year, and it seemed like the sun in eclipse".
The cause of this global catastrophe, which created worldwide famines was due to a volcanic
winter caused by one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human history.
A specific volcano output more than 100 megatons of sulfur dioxide, blocking a majority of
sunlight.
Only 4 years later, in 540 AD, an even larger massive eruption occurred, prolonging the
aforementioned effects.
Yet, despite the scope of what occurred, the source of these two eruptions still remains
a mystery to science.
These two "mystery eruptions" are a topic of great contention among geologists.
This video will discuss which two mystery volcanoes likely caused the so called worst
year to be alive on the planet, and discuss other contending volcanoes.
As a quick comparison, a similar event to what was just described occurred in 1816 in
what is termed "the year without a summer".
A massive dust veil spread around the planet due to a volcanic eruption, causing a dreary
atmosphere which would later serve as the inspiration for the story Frankenstein.
This volcanic winter was caused by a massive eruption of the Mount Tambora volcano, which
almost completely collapsed into a caldera.
This eruption was 150 times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens.
The eruption in 536 was of a similar size but output an even larger volume of sulfur
dioxide gas.
Existing evidence suggests a basaltic andesite composition to the volcano it originated from,
meaning that whatever volcano produced this eruption was not a shield volcano.
In recent years, a young looking caldera was dated; the Ilopango volcano in El Salvador.
Its most recent caldera forming eruption devastated the Mayan cities throughout the continent,
causing waist high ash to fall as far as 100 miles or 160 kilometers distant.
Initial estimates suggested an age of 410 AD to 560 AD, meaning that this volcano seemed
like a perfect fit.
Then, a study came out, which dated the eruption to 536 AD.
Thus, you might think that we figured out which volcano caused the extreme weather events
of the same year.
Not so fast.
This supposed age had a very high margin of error.
A later study pinned down the age of the eruption to 431 AD, which only had a margin of error
of +- 2 years.
Thus, a seemingly great match was not the source of the mystery eruption.
More recent analysis of this year of misery from historical records noted that Europe
was much more strongly effected than other parts of the planet.
The thick dust veil which caused crops to fail also seemed more severe at northern latitudes,
above 40 degrees north.
It is quite conclusive that whichever volcano which produced this megaeruption thus originated
from 1 of 2 northern latitude locations; Iceland or Alaska.
However, in Iceland, there is no evidence of any young massive eruptions.
There isn't a large area covered in 20 or 30 meter thick ash beds, as would be implied
from an eruption with global consequences.
One possibility is that whatever volcano produced this eruption is located beneath a thick glacier
which in the 1500 years since has re-covered the eruption site.
Thus, volcanoes such as Katla and Grimsvotn with large undated calderas buried beneath
glacial ice are candidates.
Due to prevailing wind patterns, an eruption in Alaska could also be the mystery volcano's
source.
The source of two of the largest distributions of ash in North America was recently found,
as it originated from a snow covered volcano known as Mount Churchill.
Yet, these 2 eruptions occurred in different years in 60 AD and 847 AD, respectively.
Thus, if the eruption truly originated in Alaska, there is a major problem.
It is almost as if a large volcano is seemingly missing.
This could very well be the case, as several recent large eruptions led to the complete
submerging of a large island, such as Kuwae in 1452.
As for the mystery volcano in 540 AD, evidence pointed toward an eruption just south of the
equator in the tropics.
Luckily, a perfect match exists.
Surrounding the modern Krakatoa volcano are a series of 3 islands.
These islands were not created during its infamous 1883 eruption, as they represent
the edges of a caldera from a much larger recent eruption.
Krakatoa was recently confirmed to have indeed produced a large explosive eruption that year,
meaning that it is the source of the second VEI 7 mystery eruption.
I hope that you enjoyed this video!
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