History of Lake Toba

Lake Toba is a volcanic lake with a length of 100 kilometers and 30 kilometers wide, located in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. This lake is the largest lake in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In the middle of this lake there is a volcanic island called Samosir Island. Lake Toba has long become an important tourist destination in North Sumatra, Bukit Lawang, Berastagi and Nias, attract domestic and foreign tourists.

Estimated that Lake Toba explosion occurred at about 73000-75000 years ago and an eruption Supervolcano (super volcano) the most recent. Bill Rose and Craig Chesner from Michigan Technological University estimate that volcanic materials spewed out of the mountain as much as 2800 km ³, with 800 km ³ of rock Ignimbrite and 2,000 km ³ of volcanic ash which is expected in the wind to the west for 2 weeks. Volcanic dust in the wind has spread to half the earth, from China to South Africa. Explosion occurred during 1 week and throw the dust up to 10 km above sea level.

This incident caused mass death and the extinction of some species also followed. According to some DNA evidence, this eruption also reduced the number of people to about 60% of the total human population of the earth at that time, which is about 60 million people. The eruption also caused the ice age, although experts are still debating. After the eruption, the caldera formed which is then filled with water and became what is now known as Lake Toba. Pressure upward by magma that has not come out cause the emergence of Samosir Island.

Multidisciplinary team of international researchers, led by Dr. Michael Petraglia, revealed in a press conference in Oxford, the United States has found a new archaeological site that is quite spectacular by geologists in southern and northern India. At the site revealed how people survive, before and after volcanic eruptions (Supervolcano) Toba 74,000 years ago, and evidence of life under the ash heap of Mount Toba. Though the eruption source within 3,000 miles, from the distribution of ashes.

For seven years, experts from oxford University is researching ecosystem project in India, to search for evidence of life and equipment life they left behind in a barren desert. Area with thousands of hectares it was only savanna (grasslands). While animal bones scattered. Tim concludes, quite large area is apparently covered with dust from ancient volcanic eruptions.

The spread of volcanic dust was very spacious, found almost all over the world. Derived from an ancient eruption Supervolcano, namely Mount Toba. Allegations leading to Mount Toba, because it found evidence of volcanic ash forms of the same molecule in 2100. Since the caldera crater, now a lake Toba in Indonesia, 3,000 miles, from the source of the eruption. Even that is quite surprising, apparently spread of dust to be recorded to the North Pole. This is reminiscent of the experts, how powerful the super volcano Toba eruption at that time.