A Mist Connection: The Laki Eruption and Its Legacy.

Abstract

From June 1783, an unusual fog enveloped large parts of Europe. This fog was dry, not wet, and lasted for several weeks. At the end of June, the gaseous concentrations peaked: In some regions, contemporaries perceived a sulfuric smell, vegetation withered overnight, metallic surfaces became green, and people complained about respiratory conditions. Inspired by the Enlightenment, contemporary naturalists speculated about the cause of the unusual weather and developed numerous explanations. In Europe, it was unknown that on Iceland the Laki fissure had erupted. It was a flood basalt event, which produced the largest volume of lava of any volcano on planet Earth in the last millennium. In my dissertation, I pursued an interdis- ciplinary approach, which combined environmental history with geology.