Eruption energy840 quadrillion J
280 trillionToilet flushes
840 quadrillionPencil snaps
~200 megatons TNT; four times the Tsar Bomba
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Krakatoa 1883 Eruption
The eruption heard literally around the world/Events & Phenomena
The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia was one of the most violent volcanic events in recorded history. The explosion was heard nearly 5,000 km away in Rodrigues Island near Mauritius, making it the loudest sound in modern history. It ejected roughly 25 cubic kilometers of rock and ash, generated tsunamis up to 30 meters high that killed over 36,000 people, and lowered global temperatures by 1.2°C for five years. The pressure wave was recorded on barographs worldwide as it circled the Earth four times.
Measurements
Sound audible distance4.8 million m
64.9 millionBaseball diameters
9.1 millionUkulele lengths
5.3 millionWindow widths
~4,800 km; heard on Rodrigues Island, the farthest confirmed report
Ash cloud height27,000 m
1 billionthsLight-days
44,262Nightstand heights
27 km into the stratosphere; global sunsets turned vivid red for years
Peak overpressure (near)3.5 million Pa
9.7 millionthsEarth core pressures
219Blood pressures
5.07Bicycle tires
~35 atm estimated at the caldera; ruptured eardrums 60 km away
Tsunami height30 m
100,000Grains of salt
14.8Door heights
Up to 30 m waves struck the coasts of Java and Sumatra
Ejected material25 billion m³
38.5 billionStandard coffins
25 octillionMitochondria
6 tenthsGrand Canyons
~25 km³ of rock, ash, and pumice ejected
Post-eruption global average temperature287 K
8.3 tenthsCar dashboards in summer
3.72Liquid nitrogen
1.12Deep freezers
~13.8°C; roughly 1.2°C below the pre-eruption average of ~15°C, lasting ~5 years