1883 eruption energy840 quadrillion J
89.7 trillionAA batteries
3.1 billionTesla batteries
70,000Shuttle launches
Equivalent to roughly 200 megatons of TNT
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Krakatoa
The eruption heard around the world/Volcanoes
The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa in Indonesia was one of the most violent volcanic events in recorded history. The sound of the explosion was heard nearly 5,000 kilometers away in Australia, making it the loudest sound in modern history. The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the island and generated tsunamis up to 30 meters high.
Measurements
Distance eruption sound traveled4.8 million m
16 trillionUV-B wavelengths
2.09Great Barrier Reefs
114 millionWatch face widths
Heard on Rodrigues Island near Mauritius, nearly 4800 km away
Original peak elevation813 m
203High jump bar lengths
38.4 millionthsGreat Walls of China
27.1Church steeple heights
Before the 1883 eruption destroyed most of the island
Shockwave pressure at 160 km17,000 Pa
5.67Cat kneads
17 millionQuiet breaths
The atmospheric shockwave circled the globe multiple times
Tsunami height (max)30 m
32.8Window widths
545Pink erasers
12.5Corn stalk heights
Tsunamis devastated coastal towns across the Sunda Strait
Ash column height36,000 m
90Supertankers
635Leaning Towers of Pisa
Ash was ejected into the stratosphere, causing global cooling
Anak Krakatau current height157 m
32Canoes
92.4Human arm spans
349Shoulder widths
The child island that emerged in 1927 and continues growing