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.
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.
More and More Info
uniqueexplorer.blogspot.com
Is our source for this picture.
• 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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