The 1600 eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru had a global impact on human society, according to a new study of contemporary records by geologists at UC Davis. The eruption is known to have put a large amount of sulfur into the atmosphere, and tree ring studies show that 1601 was a cold year, but no one had looked at the agricultural and social impacts, said Ken Verosub, professor of geology at UC Davis.
Huaynaputina (Quechua: "New Volcano") is a stratovolcano located in a volcanic upland in southern Peru, 4850 m. The volcano does not have a vividly identifiable volcanic profile. On February 19, 1600 it exploded catastrophically (Volcanic Explosivity Index or VEI 6), in the largest volcanic explosion in South America in historic times.