Mount Tambora is an active stratovolcano on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. The volcano, formed by subduction, raised Mount Tambora as high as 4,300 m (14,100 ft). After a large magma chamber inside the mountain filled over the course of several decades, volcanic activity reached a historic climax in the super-colossal eruption of April 10, 1815. This outburst was the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. However, most of the 71,000 deaths from the eruption were from starvation and disease. The eruption caused global climate anomalies that included the phenomenon known as "volcanic winter": 1816 became known as the "Year Without a Summer" because of the effect on North American and European weather. (Read more...)