On 27 May 1883 Krakatoa (Krakatau), a volcano on small island west of Sumatra in Indonesia, would render its final blasts resulting in one the deadliest volcanic eruptions in modern history.

Krakatoa had started erupting in May 1883 and continued erupting off and on for several months. The eruptions at times were so loud they were heard in Jakarta. The eruptions seemed to quiet down for a while but then intensified in later in June resulting in more earthquakes, higher tides, and ships having to be moored with heavy chains to prevent lines snapping. Finally on 26 August it began continually erupting starting in the afternoon. The eruptions were loud and were soon heard all over Java. Ash and hot pumice also began to fall with ship crews having to deal with the hot pumice. A small tsunami was also generated.

On the morning of 27 May, Krakatoa would erupt four times starting at 5:30 am. The third one at 10:02 am was so loud it was heard 3,000 miles away with people thinking a ship offshore was firing cannons. Tsunamis were generated by each of these blasts as well completely sweeping over neighboring islands and coastlines. The final blast at 10:41 am was triggered by a landslide triggering deadly tsunamis as well. The pyroclastic flow from the eruptions crossed the water and went inland causing more death and destruction was well. Over 36,000 died from both the tsunamis and pyroclastic flows.

Studies indicate the tsunamis at one point were 120 feet high and completely stripped small islands of both people and vegetation. The pyroclastic flows stretched forty miles inland. More people died from the tsunamis than the pyroclastic flows. One steamship, the Berouw, was carried 2.5 miles inland by the tsunami killing all 28 crewmembers. No attempt was made to remove it and is still visible (though decayed by time and nature) to this day. A lighthouse was destroyed by a massive 600-ton coral block that the tsunami carried with it. Rail lines were bent, and infrastructure was damaged. Whole communities and villages were wiped out as well. The pressure wave created by the third eruption radiated outward at a speed of 675 mph (1,086 km) per hour. The eardrums of sailors on the RMS Norham Castle off Sumatra and about 64 miles away were ruptured. It is now estimated the decibel level of the third eruption was 180 decibels, the loudest sound heard by humanity.

The pressure wave caused windows to shatter and walls to crack in Batavia (now Jakarta). Gasometers there went off scale due to this pressure wave and barographs around the world measured the pressure wave. It circled the world for three days. The final blast, believed to be a lateral explosion, is estimated to be 200 megatonnes of TNT making it more powerful than the most powerful thermonuclear weapons. The island was nearly destroyed and only a small fragment remained. No major eruptions were noted until 1920 when a new cone appeared and was named Anak Krakatau (Son of Krakatau) and grew quickly.  It erupted in 2018 creating a deadly tsunami with 260-foot waves (80 meters). 437 died but over 30,000 injured and displaced. It erupted again in 2020, but no damage resulted.

The eruption of 1883 is regarded as the first scientifically recorded and studied eruption. The study of volcanoes, volcanology, would grow from this event. It was also the first mass reporting of destruction of this type as well. The telegraph, thanks to land and undersea cables, connected the world. News of the disaster quickly spread throughout the world. What used to take weeks or even months to be known was known in days.

Sources

Mary Bagley, “Krakatoa Volcano: Facts About 1883 Eruption,” Live Science, last modified September 15, 2017, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.livescience.com/28186-krakatoa.html.

“Krakatoa,” History.Com, last modified August 13, 2025, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.history.com/articles/krakatoa.

“On This Day: Historic Krakatau Eruption of 1883,” National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), last modified October 15, 2024, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/day-historic-krakatau-eruption-1883.

Suggested Reading

Editors, C. R. (2014). The 1883 eruption of Krakatoa: The History of the World’s Most Notorious Volcanic Explosions. CreateSpace

Winchester, S. (2005). Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883. Harper Collins.

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[Update Information-This was updated from 2024 with revised article, corrections for grammar and punctuation.]