Today in History: Krakatoa erupts, and is heard 4 800km away
The explosion of Krakatoa eventually sank most of the island into the Sunda Strait.
The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurred on Krakatau (also called Krakatoa), a small, uninhabited volcanic island located west of Sumatra in Indonesia, on this day in 1883.
Krakatau first stirred more than 200 years ago on 20 May, 1883. A German warship passing by reported a 11km high cloud of ash and dust over Krakatau.
For the next two months, similar explosions would be witnessed by commercial liners and natives on nearby Java and Sumatra. With little to no idea of the impending catastrophe, the local inhabitants greeted the volcanic activity with festive excitement.
On 27 August, excitement turned to horror as Krakatau literally blew itself apart, setting off a chain of natural disasters that would be felt around the world for years to come. An enormous blast on the afternoon of 27 August destroyed the northern two-thirds of the island.
As it plunged into the Sunda Strait, between the Java Sea and Indian Ocean, the gushing mountain generated a series of pyroclastic flows (fast-moving fluid bodies of molten gas, ash and rock) and monstrous tsunamis that swept over nearby coastlines. Four more eruptions beginning at 5.30am the following day proved cataclysmic.
The explosions could be heard as far as 4 828km away, and ash was propelled to a height of 80km. Fine dust from the explosion drifted around the earth, causing spectacular sunsets and forming an atmospheric veil that lowered temperatures worldwide by several degrees.
Of the estimated 36 000 deaths resulting from the eruption, at least 31 000 were caused by the tsunamis created when much of the island fell into the water. The greatest of these waves measured 36m high, and washed over nearby islands, stripping away vegetation and carrying people out to sea.
Another 4 500 people were scorched to death in the pyroclastic flows that rolled over the sea, stretching as far as 40 miles according to some sources. In addition to Krakatau, which is still active, Indonesia has another 130 active volcanoes, more than any other country in the world.
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