The loudest sound ever heard.

Two thirds of the island was destroyed.

The loudest sound in recorded history occurred when a volcano in Indonesia named Krakatoa erupted. It started on 26th August and continued through 27th August1883. The explosion was so loud that sailors 40 miles away suffered from perforated eardrums.




I want to share some of the facts and figures with you.

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• Earthquakes were felt in the region for years before the event.
  
• Early eruptions started in May 1883
  
• A series of forceful eruptions started on 26th August and intensified on 27th August. An explosion on 27th August at 10.02am was heard 4653 km (3000 miles) away on Rodriguez Island, which lies on the other side of the Indian Ocean.
  
• Barographs (An instrument that records air pressure) recorded the change in air pressure around the world and continued to record changes for five days.
  
• Ash radiated into the atmosphere and fell on ships 6000 km away.
  
• Tsunamis devastated the region. There are reports of waves as high as 40 meters. Killing over 36,000 people, mainly on the islands of Sumatra and Java.
  
• Global temperatures dropped and became chaotic. They did not return to normal until 1888.

This rock expelled from Krakatoa landed 40 km away on Java

I’ve always been fascinated this event. It was the worst volcanic eruption in recorded history. Although there have been similar events. In 536 a volcano under Lake Ilopango, in Central America, erupted. It had global consequences and is believed to be the catalyst that plunged Europe into the Dark Age.

If The Krakatoa event were to happen today the effects would be even more devastating. Air travel and shipping would be disrupted worldwide. But more importantly, there are over 200 million people living in Java and Sumatra today, a significantly larger population than one hundred and thirty one years ago.

I hope to uncover some survivor stories for a future posts. I want to put a human face to the data. This will help me truly understand the cataclysmic events of 1883.

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