Krakatoa Erupts
The Krakatoa eruption was heard 3,000 miles away and caused a global temperature drop
August 27, 1883
The Loudest Sound in Recorded History
On August 27, 1883, the volcano Krakatoa erupted with an explosion so powerful it is considered the loudest sound ever recorded in human history. The blast was heard nearly 3,000 miles away, as far as Australia and the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius. Krakatoa sits in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. The eruption blew apart most of the volcanic island and sent a column of ash and debris more than 50 miles into the atmosphere. It was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in modern times.
Tsunamis, Death, and Darkness
The eruption triggered enormous tsunamis that slammed into the coastlines of Java and Sumatra. Waves reached heights of over 100 feet in some places, wiping out coastal towns and villages. More than 36,000 people died, most of them killed by the waves rather than the eruption itself. The massive amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide thrown into the upper atmosphere caused global temperatures to drop by more than one degree Fahrenheit over the following year. Sunsets around the world turned vivid red, orange, and purple for months because of particles suspended in the air, inspiring artists and alarming ordinary people who had no idea what was causing the strange skies.
Krakatoa's Ongoing Story
In 1927, a new volcanic island called Anak Krakatau, meaning "Child of Krakatoa," emerged from the sea in the same area. It has been erupting regularly ever since and continues to grow. In December 2018, a flank collapse of Anak Krakatau generated another deadly tsunami that killed more than 400 people along the Sunda Strait coastlines. Krakatoa reminds us that some of Earth's most dangerous forces are ongoing rather than one-time events. Scientists continue to monitor the volcano closely. See how this compares to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in terms of scale and reach.