In 1815, Mount Tambora experienced the largest volcanic eruption in recorded history. The eruption's effects altered Earth’s climate for years and even led to the “year without summer” in 1816.

Today the crater floor is occupied by an ephemeral freshwater lake. Credit: NASA Expedition 20 crew / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons In the remote archipelago of the Lesser Sunda Islands (Indonesia ...

Mount Tambora’s 1815 eruption triggered the “year without a summer,” causing global cooling, failed crops, famine, and cultural shifts, including Mary Shelley's inspiration for Frankenstein.