The 1883 Eruption of Krakatoa
The destruction of the Indonesian island volcano Krakatoa in August 1883, the loudest sound in recorded history, which killed more than 36,000 people, produced tsunamis that swept away 165 coastal villages, and cooled world temperatures for years.
Events
Eruptions Resume After Two Centuries of Quiet
Strombolian eruptions began from Perboewatan, the northernmost of Krakatoa's three cones, on 20 May 1883, ending some 200 years of repose. Ash columns reached about 6 kilometres (20,000 feet) and explosions could be heard in Batavia, 160 kilometres (100 miles) away. Activity briefly quieted before intensifying again through June and July as new vents opened.
Location: Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies
A Warning Survey
Dutch topographical engineer Captain H. J. G. Ferzenaar became the last recorded visitor before the catastrophe. He observed three major ash columns, steam plumes from at least eleven vents, an ash layer about 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) deep, and total destruction of vegetation, and advised against further landings.
Location: Krakatoa island, Dutch East Indies
The Climactic Eruption
On 27 August 1883, a series of four catastrophic explosions, the last at 10:02 a.m. local time, destroyed over 70 percent of the island, which collapsed into a caldera. The final explosion was the loudest sound in recorded history, heard 3,110 kilometres (1,930 miles) away in Perth, Australia, and 4,800 kilometres (3,000 miles) away on Rodrigues Island near Mauritius. Its pressure wave circled the globe more than three times.
Location: Sunda Strait, Dutch East Indies
Tsunamis Devastate the Coasts of Java and Sumatra
The collapse of the island generated tsunamis reaching about 30 metres (100 feet) that washed away 165 coastal villages on Java and Sumatra. The official Dutch count attributed at least 36,417 deaths to the eruption and its waves, most killed by the tsunamis. Whole settlements such as Teluk Betung and Anyer were destroyed, and ships were thrown kilometres inland.
Location: Java and Sumatra coasts, Dutch East Indies
A Global Climate Effect
The eruption released roughly 20 million tons of sulfur into the atmosphere, and the resulting haze lowered average world temperatures by about 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) over the following years. Vivid red sunsets were reported worldwide, and the aerosol veil was tracked in weather records across Europe, the Americas, and Asia — one of the first times a localized natural event was observed to affect the entire planet's climate.
Science Studies the Disaster
Dutch geologist Rogier Verbeek's investigation, published in the 1880s, and the Royal Society's 1888 report chaired by George Symons made Krakatoa the most intensively studied volcanic event of its era and a foundation of modern volcanology and tsunami science. Seismic activity continued until early 1884, and the surveys established that most deaths came from the waves rather than the eruption itself.
Location: Batavia, Dutch East Indies
The Child of Krakatoa
A new volcanic island, Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa), broke the surface of the sea in December 1927 at the site of the destroyed caldera and grew through repeated eruptions. In December 2018 a collapse of its flank generated another Sunda Strait tsunami that killed more than 400 people, demonstrating that the hazard that destroyed Krakatoa in 1883 remained active.
Location: Sunda Strait, Indonesia