The Krakatoa eruption of 1883 had such force, it could be heard in central Australia, nearly 3,000 miles (4,828 km) away from the volcano’s island location near Indonesia. The natural disaster is one of the worst in modern times, with an estimated 35,000 people thought to have been killed.
When the volcano began showing signs of rumbling activity on 20 May 1883, it had been dormant for about 200 years. For the next three months, there were more mild volcanic blasts until 27 August 1883, when a series of four massive eruptions occurred.
The final Krakatoa eruption is considered to be the loudest noise ever recorded on Earth.
More about the Krakatoa eruption of 1883 :
- Ash from the Krakatoa eruption is thought to have reached over 20 miles (32.19 km) into the air.
- The tsunamis set off by the volcanic eruption were so strong, coral blocks weighing around 600 tons were washed up onto shores by the water waves.
- Gas from the aftermath of the eruption was so thick, it settled into the atmosphere and partially affected sunlight from reaching Earth - until 1888, the average global temperature was 1.2 degrees cooler.