Krakatoa Volcano Famous Volcano Eruptions

Clark & Michael

Basic Info

• Krakatoa is a volcanic island in the Sunda Straight between Java and Sumatra. Krakatoa’s explosion was one of the loudest explosions in modern history, claimed to be over 3,000 miles away! The force of the eruption of Krakatoa was some 10,000 times stronger than a hydrogen bomb. The survivors of the shock waves had to face more than one tsunami and super-heated ash clouds.

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How Krakatoa Got Famous

In 416 AD the Krakatoa first erupted and in 1883, killing at least 36,417 people. It also caused a giant tsunami the had its share on the people killed in that great accident.

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• In the years before the 1883 eruption, seismic activity around the volcano was intense, with some earthquakes felt as far as Australia. Beginning 20 May 1883, 4 months before the final explosion, steam venting began to occur regularly from Perbuatan, the northernmost of the island's three cones. Eruptions of ash reached an altitude of 6 km (20,000 ft) and explosions could be heard in New Batavia (Jakarta) 160 km (99 mi) away. Activity died down by the end of May, with no records of activity until mid-June.

On 11 August, H.J.G. Ferzenaar investigated the islands. He noted three major ash columns (the newer from Danan), which obscured the western part of the island (the wind blows primarily from the east at this time of year), and steam plumes from at least eleven other vents, mostly between Danan and Rakata. Where he landed, he found an ash layer about 0.5 m (1 ft. 8 in) thick; all vegetation had been destroyed, with only tree stumps left. He advised against any further landings. The next day, a ship passing to the north reported a new vent "only a few meters above sea level" (this may be the most northerly spot indicated on Ferzenaar's map). Activity continued through mid-August

Eruptions started again around the 16 of June, when loud explosions were heard, and a thick black cloud covered the islands for five days. On 24 June an east wind blew this cloud away and two ash columns were seen emitting from Krakatoa. The new seat of the eruption is believed to have been a new vent or vents which formed between Perbuatan and Danan, near the location of the volcanic cone of Krakatoa. The violence of the eruption caused tides in the vicinity to be unusually high, and ships at anchor had to be moored with chains as a result. Earthquake shocks began to be felt at Java, and large pumice masses started to be reported by ships in the Indian Ocean to the west.

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