Scientists have identified the “mystery volcano” that erupted in 1831 and cooled Earth’s climate. They have linked it to an island volcano in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

A massive volcano opened wide its jaws and belched forth so much ash and smoke that the skies dimmed, cooling the Northern Hemisphere. Crops failed. People starved. Yet for all the devastation, the volcano's location remained a mystery.

The annual average temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere came down by around 1 degree Celsius during one of the most powerful eruptions in the 19th century.