These 10 pictures show a sound so powerful it left people within 10 miles hearing nothing but silence—and a story louder than words.
1. The Krakatoa Eruption
No matter how loud your roommate plays music when you’re trying to sleep, there will be always something louder: The Krakatoa eruption of 1883.
2. An Active History
Krakatoa’s wrath has been long documented by local historians. With an early recorded eruption in 416 AD, the volcano earned the nickname of “The Fire Mountain” during the Middle Ages, when the Sailendra dynasty ruled over Java. There were reportedly seven more recorded incidents of volcanic activity between 850 AD and 1530 AD with one moderate eruption in 1680 AD.
3. A Seismic Shift
The first signs of an impending eruption began several years before the incident, as the area experienced an increase in seismic activity. One 1880 earthquake was allegedly so strong that it could be felt in the northern region of Australia.
4. The Waiting Game
Starting in May 1883, clouds of ash and dust started slowly emerging from the volcano. Lasting for months, these strange happenings caught the attention of not only locals, but also several ship captains. Sparking celebrations and a handful of scientific expeditions to the area, witnesses marveled at smaller eruptions, including one that left the island coated in soot and ash.
5. The Big One
After roughly three months of ominous simmering an sputtering, Krakatoa finally erupted on August 27, 1883, prompting a significant portion of the island to fall into the sea.
6. Extremely Loud And Not-So Incredibly Close
Considered to be the loudest sound in human history, the eruption rang over roughly 10% of the earth’s surface, per the National Centers for Environmental Information. But while Australians may have heard a sound akin to gunfire blasting in the distance, the reality was a lot worse for locals and visitors. Some reports claim that anyone within a 10-mile radius would have gone deaf from the boom.
7. In The Dark
But hearing was not the only sense impacted by the blast. Alongside pumice rocks like the one pictured here, plumes of ash shot 50 feet into the sky, leaving the area in the dark for roughly three days. Across the globe, several locations in Europe experienced darkened skies and shocking sunsets as a result of the explosion.
8. The Death Toll
Overall, roughly 36,417 people were said to have died due to the eruption, with some more generous counts standing at 120,000 deaths. Based on the first count alone, Krakatoa is considered to be the second deadliest volcanic explosion in recorded history.
9. New Islands
After the dust settled, new life began in the region. While a few new islands popped up as a result of the eruption, only one withstood the test of time — Anak Krakatau.
10. The Scream
But it’s not just the Pacific that grapples with the legacy of this incident. Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” is also said to depict the red-tinted sky in Norway following the eruption.
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