Scientists Say They’ve Figured Out What Turned The Sun Blue

In 1831, a volcanic eruption unleashed enough sulfur gas into the atmosphere to lower global temperatures by nearly two degrees Fahrenheit, triggering widespread famine, devastation, and social upheaval.

The event’s gloom extended even to the Sun, which appeared somberly blue in the northern hemisphere, with occasional reports of purple and green hues. Despite its dramatic impact, the volcano responsible for this upheaval remained a mystery—until now.

According to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have identified the Zavaritskii volcano on the uninhabited island of Simushir, part of the remote Kuril Islands in the Western Pacific, as the culprit. The breakthrough came from analyzing microscopic ash shards preserved in polar ice cores, which provided a “perfect fingerprint match” to the volcano.

“Only recently have we developed the ability to extract and chemically analyze these microscopic ash shards,” said lead author Will Hutchinson, a geoscientist at the University of St Andrews. These shards, he explained, are roughly one-tenth the diameter of a human hair, underscoring the precision required to trace the eruption’s origin.

The Kuril Islands, controlled by Russia but disputed by Japan, host numerous active volcanoes. However, their remoteness has left many understudied. Hutchinson credited decades-long collaboration with Japanese and Russian colleagues for the samples that led to the discovery, calling the laboratory analysis a “genuine eureka moment.”

The study highlights the ongoing risks posed by unmonitored volcanoes, including those in the volcanically active Kuril region. The researchers warned that a modern-day eruption of this magnitude would likely catch humanity as unprepared as it was in 1831, complicating efforts to predict and mitigate the impacts of such global climate-altering events.

“If this eruption were to happen today, I don’t think we’d be much better off than we were in 1831,” Hutchinson told LiveScience.

“It shows how challenging it will be to predict when and where the next big climate-changing eruption will occur.”

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