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What does the word Krakatau mean?
[ krak-uh-tou, krah-kuh- ] SHOW IPA. / ˌkræk əˈtaʊ, ˌkrɑ kə- / PHONETIC RESPELLING. noun. a volcano and small island in Indonesia, between Java and Sumatra: violent eruption 1883.
What is Krakatoa called now?
The volcanic island known as Krakatoa is located in the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra. At the time of its famous eruption in 1883, the region was part of the Dutch East Indies; it’s now part of Indonesia.
Does anyone live on Krakatoa?
Very few people live on the island that is the home of Anak Krakatau, but as the devastation on both sides of the strait during the 1883 eruption of Krakatau show, you don’t need to be at the volcano to become a victim of its eruption.
How old is Krakatoa?
| Anak Krakatoa | |
|---|---|
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Holocene – very recent |
| Mountain type | Caldera |
| Last eruption | 2021 |
What did Krakatoa sound like?
The atmosphere was ringing like a bell, imperceptible to us but detectable by our instruments. The Krakatoa explosion registered 172 decibels at 100 miles from the source. This is so astonishingly loud, that it’s inching up against the limits of what we mean by “sound.”
How big was the Krakatoa explosion?
5 cubic miles
As the island collapsed under the sea into the magma chamber, explosions sent as much as 5 cubic miles (21 cubic kilometers) of rock fragments into the air. Much of the remaining island sank into a caldera or volcanic crater, about 3.8 miles (6 kilometers) wide. The Krakatau eruption spawned a pyroclastic flow.
Is Krakatoa a supervolcano?
In 1927, a fourth island, Anak Krakatau, or “Child of Krakatoa”, emerged from the caldera formed in 1883. There has been new eruptive activity since the late 20th century, with a large collapse causing a deadly tsunami in December 2018….
| Krakatoa | |
|---|---|
| Mountain type | Caldera |
| Last eruption | 2020 |
Why did Krakatoa explode?
This eruption was caused by high pressure buildup in the two underlying tectonic plates. The resulting crack allowed for water to enter the volcano and mix into the magma cavity. This along with the extremely heated steam resulted in extremely intense pressure and an almost complete destruction of the island.
How far away could people hear Krakatoa?
The sound made by the Krakatoa volcanic eruption in 1883 was so loud it ruptured eardrums of people 40 miles away, travelled around the world four times, and was clearly heard 3,000 miles away. Think, for a moment, just how crazy this is.
What’s the deadliest volcano in the world?
Which volcanic eruptions were the deadliest?
| Eruption | Year | Casualties |
|---|---|---|
| Mount St. Helens, Washington | 1980 | 573 |
| Kilauea, Hawaii | 1924 | 11 |
| Lassen Peak, California | 1915 | 04 |
| Mount Vesuvius, Italy | 79 A.D. | 3,3602 |
What made Krakatoa so explosive?
Originally Verbeek thought that Krakatoa was so fierce because sea water flooded into the volcano, reacting with molten lava; the build-up of pressure from the resulting steam would have led to an enormous blast. Small earthquakes indicate that the volcano is becoming unstable.
Can Krakatoa erupt again?
As the volcano collapsed into the sea, it generated a tsunami 37m high – tall enough to submerge a six-story building. And Indonesia has no advanced early warning system in place for volcano-generated tsunamis. At some point in the future, Anak Krakatoa will erupt again, generating more tsunamis.
Where are the Krakatoa islands located in Indonesia?
Krakatoa, or Krakatau ( Indonesian: Krakatau ), is a caldera in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in the Indonesian province of Lampung. The name is also used for the surrounding volcanic island group ( Krakatoa Archipelago) comprising four islands: two of which, Lang and Verlaten,…
When was the last time the Krakatoa volcano erupted?
The eruption destroyed two-thirds of the island of Krakatoa. Eruptions in the area since 1927 have built a new island at the same location, named Anak Krakatau (which is Indonesian for “Child of Krakatoa”). Periodic eruptions have continued since, with recent eruptions in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012, and a major collapse in 2018.
How did the Krakatoa volcano get its shape?
Krakatoa lies along the convergence of the Indian-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a zone of high volcanic and seismic activity. Sometime within the past million years, the volcano built a cone-shaped mountain composed of flows of volcanic rock alternating with layers of cinder and ash.
Where was the Krakatoa explosion heard in Australia?
The cataclysmic explosion was heard 3,600 km (2,200 mi) away in Alice Springs, Australia, and on the island of Rodrigues near Mauritius, 4,780 km (2,970 mi) to the west. According to the official records of the Dutch East Indies colony, 165 villages and towns were destroyed near Krakatoa, and 132 were seriously damaged.