Friday 13 January 2017

It's explosion in 1883 is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in history and killed 36,000: Krakatoa (Mount Anak Krakataus) is on alert status

  • The explosion it caused in 1883 is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history
  • It's eruption was among the most violent volcanic events in recorded history.
  • Estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, the eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT (840 PJ)—about 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the Little Boy bomb (13 to 16 kt) that devastated Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, and four times the yield of Tsar Bomb (50 Mt), the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.
  • It destroyed 165 villages and towns were destroyed near Krakatoa, and 132 were seriously damaged. At least 36,417 people died, and many more thousands were injured, mostly from the tsunamis that followed the explosion. The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa.


Mount Anak Krakataus volcanic activity is normal but remains on alert status, so the local fishermen and tourists are warned to stay away from the active volcano.
"In the past week, three to four volcanic activities have been reported per day, and yesterday, there were two shallow volcanic activities and a deep tremor.
Hence, the fishermen and tourists are warned to stay away," Abdi Suardi, head of the Mt Anak Krakatau observation post, stated in Hargopancuran village on Friday.
Suardi reiterated that the volcano remained on alert status due to which the people have been advised to not venture into a radius of one kilometer of the mountain, as the condition of this active volcano is difficult to predict.
In connection with this, fishermen and tourists were urged to remain heedful of the warning to stay away from the volcano in Sunda Strait. In the years before the 1883 eruption, seismic activity around the Krakatau (Krakatoa) volcano was intense, with earthquakes being felt as far away as Australia.

Krakatoa, or Krakatau (Indonesian: Krakatau), is a volcanic island situated in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of Lampung. The name is also used for the surrounding island group comprising the remnants of a much larger island of three volcanic peaks which was obliterated in a cataclysmic 1883 eruption, unleashing huge tsunamis (killing more than 36,000 people) and destroying over two-thirds of the island. The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from its point of origin. The shock waves from the explosion were recorded on barographs worldwide for days afterward.

In 1927 a new island, Anak Krakatau, or "Child of Krakatoa", emerged from the caldera formed in 1883 and is the current location of eruptive activity.
The most notable eruptions of Krakatoa culminated in a series of massive explosions over August 26–27, 1883, which were among the most violent volcanic events in recorded history.

With an estimated Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, the eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT (840 PJ)—about 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the Little Boy bomb (13 to 16 kt) that devastated Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II, and four times the yield of Tsar Bomb (50 Mt), the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.

The 1883 eruption ejected approximately 25 km3 (6 cubic miles) of rock. The cataclysmic explosion was heard 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away in Alice Springs, as well as on the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,653 km (2,891 mi) to the west.


According to the official records of the Dutch East Indies colony, 165 villages and towns were destroyed near Krakatoa, and 132 were seriously damaged. At least 36,417 people died, and many more thousands were injured, mostly from the tsunamis that followed the explosion. The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa.

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