On May 20, 1883, Krakatoa awoke. One of the deadliest volcanic eruptions of all time starts
Krakatoa is a volcanic island situated in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra.
It lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly active tectonic zone where the Indo-Australian Plate subducts beneath the Eurasian Plate.
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The most devastating phase of the eruption began on August 27, 1883.
The VEI 6 explosion was so intense that it caused most of the island to collapse into a caldera, ejecting an enormous volume of volcanic material and generating a series of deadly tsunamis.
The eruption destroyed more than 70% of Krakatoa and resulted in:
25 km² of volcanic material ejected.
A death toll estimated between 36,000 and 100,000 people.
Global average temperatures dropped by 1.2°C (2.2°F) over the following five years due to the massive amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere.
The volcanic island that once stood in the Sunda Strait was gone, only to be replaced decades later by the formation of Anak Krakatau (“Child of Krakatoa”), which remains active to this...
Anak Krakatau remains an active volcano with frequent small to moderate eruptions. Its major eruption in December 2018 triggered a deadly tsunami, killing hundreds along the coasts of Banten and Lampung, Indonesia. Once a popular adventure tourism…
