2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
Mount St. Helens eruption in May 1980
An international team of scientists concluded that the socio-economic crisis in medieval Europe, in particular in Scandinavia, could have been caused by two major volcanic eruptions that occurred in the 6th century. The work was published in the magazine Climatic Change.
The fact that some large-scale natural event took place in Europe is indicated by evidence in the chronicles, where it is reported that a "mysterious cloud" eclipsed the sunlight of the Mediterranean in 536-537. In addition, analysis of tree rings also indicates unfavorable growing conditions for plants throughout the northern hemisphere. Scientists in their study looked at the evidence of volcanic eruptions and modeled the consequences of a "double" eruption with a gap of several years.
Traces of volcanic sulfur recently found in ice cores in Greenland and Antarctica indicate that two major eruptions did occur in 536 and 540 AD. The researchers analyzed this sulfur, as well as the spatial variability of sulfate sediments on the surface of ice cores and radiation heating, and built a climate model.
The authors of the work were able to estimate the power of eruptions and the approximate location of volcanoes, as well as simulate the distribution and impact of clouds that appeared as a result of the release of sulfur into the atmosphere.
The researchers found that the amount of solar radiation hitting the Earth's surface was reduced in the northern hemisphere for several years, which in turn caused an average temperature to drop by 2 degrees Celsius. According to scientists, the decade after the eruption was the coldest in the last two thousand years.
The greatest impact of the eruption, according to the researchers, could have had on agricultural production in northern Europe, in particular Scandinavia. This finding supports archaeological evidence of a large-scale socioeconomic crisis in 6th century Scandinavia - evidenced by abandoned settlements, gold for sacrifices, and evidence of a sharp decline in agriculture.
However, at the moment, researchers cannot pinpoint exactly which volcanoes were the source of the eruption. Presumably, they can be found in Central America, Indonesia and North America.
