krakatau volcano

Krakatau

Krakatau before the eruption of 1883

Krakatau island before and after 1883

Krakatau was a volcano that last erupted in 1883. It killed at least 36,000 people.-Located in Sunda Strait in Indonesia- composite volcano- ejected 21 kilometers of ash and rock-lowererd Earth's average temperature by 1.2 degrees Celsius-Could have been heard up to 5,000km away-Explosion destroyed Krakatau Island

Anak Krakatau Eruption

Lithograph of 1883 eruption

Date of last eruption: Currently Erupting Status: Active (Anak Krakatau) Type: Composite Volcano

The erupiton that destroyed Krakatau began in May 1883. Steam venting began to occur on Perbuatan on Krakatau Island. Volcanic activity was not reported again until June 16th, when a loud explosion was heard and smoke covered the island for 5 days. By August 11th there was an ash layer .5 meters thick and all vegetation was destroyed. The eruptions got worse on August 25th,1883. On August 26th, explosions could be heard every ten minutes. Between 6:00 and 7:00pm, there was a tsunami that hit Java and Sumatra 40km away. Four large explosions were heard 5:30, 6:44, 10:02, and 10:41am local time. These explosions could be heard in Australia 3,000 miles away and were mistaken with cannons from nearby ships. The pressure wave from the final explosion shattered the ears of the sailors on the Sunda Strait.

-Erupions in 1930 created Anak Krakatau(Child of Krakatau in Indonesian)-Eruption considered to be loudest sound recorded in modern history-Could deafen people within 10 miles of the explosion-6 out of 8 on Volcanic Explosivity Index-Aa Lava-Possibly killed up to 120,000 people.-Caused tsunamis that hit South African ships.-Anak Krakatau grows at 5 inches a week (6.8 meters a year)-Caused red sunsets for many months-Darkened the sky around the world for years.

It also broke the eardrums of everyone within 10 miles of the Volcano at the time of the explosion. Dutch authorities recorded 36,417 deaths from the volcano, though the death toll may be up to 120,000 or more. After the eruption, the average temperature of Earth decreased by 1.2 degrees Celcius.