Mhla Ilanga Lajika Laba Bomvu

ZAQENGQELEKA iinyanga ngehlobo lowe-1783, kukho inkungu engaqhelekanga efana nomsi kummandla omkhulu woMntla weIkhweyitha. Ilanga laba bomvu krwe, izityalo zabuna kwaza kwasweleka intaphane yabantu. Enyanisweni kuqikelelwa ukuba le nkungu yabulala amashumi amawaka abantu eFransi naseNgilani nje kuphela. Abanye abantu abaninzi bagula—kubonakala ukuba ngendlela ababebaninzi ngayo, abalimi babengabafumani abantu bokuvuna izityalo ezisindileyo.

Kuthiwa le nkungu “yaba lolona tshintsho luhamba lodwa kwimozulu nakwindalo kule minyaka iliwaka idluleyo.” Unobangela wayo wawusaziwa ngabantu baseIceland kuphela ngelo xesha—ugqabhuko-dubulo lwentaba-mlilo olubakho emva kweenkulungwane eziliqela. Siyavakala isizathu sokuba i-Iceland ibe yeyona yachanabeka ngamandla kuba apho kwafa abemi abamalunga nama-20 ekhulwini.

Ugqabhuko-dubulo ILaki

NgoJuni 8, 1783, abemi baseSíða ekummandla okumzantsi weIceland babona imiqondiso yento eyaphela sel’ ibizwa ngokuba lugqabhuko-dubulo iLaki. Ngenxa yokuba esi siganeko sachazwa kakuhle ngabantu ababebukele bamazwe amaninzi, abaphengululi baye bakwazi ukuyibona indawo olwalusiba kuyo olu gqabhuko-dubulo suku ngalunye. Omnye wabantu ababebukele eIceland, uJón Steingrímsson uthi wabona “umsi omnyama” uphuma ngasemantla. Kwaba mnyama thsu, umhlaba uzele luthuthu. Emva koko yaqala inyikima kwaza kwashukuma umhlaba. Waphawula ukuba, emva kweveki “kwanwenwa umlilokazi owawuvela kwintlambo [uMlambo] iSkaftá” waqwenga yonk’ into eyayisendleleni yawo. Kwathatha iinyanga ezisibhozo zonke lo kaSteingrímsson ebhala ngesi siganeko.

Kolu gqabhuko-dubulo, kwacandeka uthanda oluziikhilomitha ezingama-25 emhlabeni kwaza kwatsiba udaka olubilileyo oluziikyubhiki zeekhilomitha ezili-15 olungaphezulu kwalo naluphi na olunye ugqabhuko-dubulo! Kwavuthuza amadangatye kwaza kwabakho udaka olubilileyo olwatsiba kangangeekhilomitha ezingama-80 ukususela kwindawo eyayicandekile lwaza lwagqumelela ummandla ozizikwemitha ezingama-580 lutshisa uMlambo iSkaftá.

Kunyaka owalandelayo, uthuthu nemichiza enetyhefu olwalukwingca yaseIceland lwabulala ngaphezu kwama-50 ekhulwini eenkomo namahashe neegusha ezimalunga nama-80 ekhulwini. Kwagquba indlala. Olu thanda lwaseLaki lwakhuphela iitoni ezimalunga nee-122 lezigidi zesulfur dioxide emoyeni yaza yadibana nomphunga, nto leyo eyabangela ukuba kubekho iitoni ezingama-200 zezigidi zeasidi.a

Izinto Ezenzeka Sele Kudlule Ithuba

Ebudeni belo hlobo, umoya wayithwala le nkungu iyingozi uyisa kwiindawo ezikude. EBritani naseFransi kwabakho “inkungu eqhumayo nengaqhelekanga” engazange yakha yabonwa ngaphambili. Yayinuka isulfur, ibangela ukuba abantu babe nengxaki yokuphefumla, isisu segazi, intloko, amehlo, umqala obuhlungu nezinye izigulo. Inkungu enesulfur dioxide nesulfuric acid yabulala inkitha yabantu abasebatsha nabadala.

Ingxelo evela kwelaseJamani yathi le nkungu inetyhefu yabunisa amagqabi emithi ekroze ngakuMlambo iEms ngobusuku nje obunye. ENgilani imifuno yantshwenya aza amagqabi abuna ngokungathi atshisiwe. Kwafika iingxelo ezifanayo zivela eFransi, eHungary, eItali, eNetherlands, eRomania, eScandinavia naseSlovakia. Eneneni le nkungu yabonwa nakwiindawo ezikude ezifana nePortugal, iTunisia, iSyria, iRashiya, intshona yeTshayina neNewfoundland.

Kubonakala ukuba kwatshintsha namaqondo obushushu kuba le nkungu yalisitha ilanga ithintela imitha yalo. Ngowe-1784, iqondo lobushushu kwilizwekazi iYurophu lalingaphantsi ngesibini ngokukaCelsius kunomlinganiselo weqondo lobushushu owawukho kwisiqingatha sesibini senkulungwane ye-18. Iqondo lobushushu eIceland lalingaphantsi ngomlinganiselo omalunga nesihlanu ngokukaCelsius. KuMntla Merika, ubusika bangowe-1783 nobowe-1784 babubanda kangangokuba kuthiwa kwabonwa “umkhenkce uhamba nomsinga wamanzi waya kutsho eMississippi . . . waza waphuma waya kungena kuNxweme lwaseMexico.”

Abanye abaphengululi bacinga ukuba, ukuba sesichengeni sokubhanga kwesizwe samaKauwerak, amaInuit akumntla-ntshona weAlaska, kwabangelwa yindlala eyabakho ngenxa yogqabhuko-dubulo iLaki. Ingxelo ibonisa ukuba alikho ihlobo elabanda ngathi lelowe-1783 eAlaska kwiminyaka engama-400. Eneneni amaKauwerak ayathanda ukubalisa ngonyaka owaba nehlobo elaphela ngoJuni kwaza emva kwalo kwalandela ingqele eqhaqhazelis’ amazinyo nendlala engathethekiyo.

Indlela Egqalwa Ngayo ILaki Le Namhlanje

Phantse sele ibulibaleka le ntlekele yokwemvelo yangowe-1783, mhlawumbi ngenxa yokuba yenzeka kudala kakhulu okanye abantu ababephila ngelo xesha babengamqondi unobangela wayo. Kodwa ke, eIceland ugqabhuko-dubulo iLaki lwaziwa njengeyona ntlekele inkulu ezimbalini zelo lizwe.

Abanye babesithi le ntlekele isisohlwayo esivela kuThixo. Noko ke, iBhayibhile ayivumelani naloo nto. (Yakobi 1:13) UThixo akatshabalalisi nje kwamntu okhoyo, enoba ulungile okanye akalunganga, kuba “zonke iindlela zakhe zisesikweni.” (Duteronomi 32:4) Kwixa elizayo uThixo uza kubonisa okusesikweni ngeyona ndlela ibalaseleyo xa engenelela kwimicimbi yoluntu. IBhayibhile ithi injongo yakhe kukuziphelisa zithi tu zonke izinto ezibangela ukufa nokubandezeleka, zinto ezo eziquka iintlekele zemvelo.—Isaya 25:8; ISityhilelo 21:3, 4.

[Umbhalo osemazantsi]

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14, 15]

Ifoto yommandla owathwaxwa lugqabhuko-dubulo iLaki

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 14, 15]

Umzekelo wokudubula kodaka olubilileyo

[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]

I-Iceland xa ijongwe ngesatellite

[Inkcazelo Ngemifanekiso ekwiphepha 14]

Lava fountain: © Tom Pfeiffer; aerial photo: U.S. Geological Survey; satellite photo: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC