"Krakatoa" the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history

 That was on August 27, 1883.  On that day, a series of violent eruptions erupted from the volcanic island of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia.

 Considered one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recorded history, this cataclysmic event unleashed unimaginable destruction and left another imprint on the world for years to come.

 Signs of such a large eruption had been showing for months before the main eruption of Krakatoa.  It started on May 20, 1883 through a series of small explosions and tremors that culminated in a series of massive explosions.  These initial explosions were powerful enough to cause tsunamis that damaged nearby islands.

 The peak of the eruption was reached on August 27, with a series of explosions so violent that they were heard as far away as Perth, Western Australia, 3,110 km (1,930 mi) away, and 4,800 km (3,000 mi) away in the Indian Ocean islands of Rodrigues near Mauritius.  

 The largest explosion, estimated to be equal to 100 megatons of TNT (24,000 times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan), caused the island of Krakatoa to explode, collapsing into a caldera and generating a series of devastating tsunamis.

 In general, sounds are caused by fluctuations in air pressure.  After the Krakatoa eruption, a barometer at the Batavia gasworks (100 miles from Krakatoa) recorded a pressure of over 2.5 inches of mercury.  That means it translates to a sound pressure of more than 172 decibels.  This sound created by the explosion of Krakatoa is considered to be the biggest sound that has been generated on earth.

 Also, as recorded by barographs, which are devices that measure atmospheric pressure around the world, the shock waves caused by the main explosion have gone around the world seven times.  Those complete round waves four times in one direction and three times in the opposite direction.  For five days after the eruption, barographs documented the movement of shock waves between Krakatoa and its antipodal point on Earth.

 The tsunami generated by the Krakatoa eruption was the strongest ever recorded, reaching heights of up to 135 feet (41 m) in some areas.  These waves caused widespread destruction along the coasts of Java, Sumatra and other nearby islands, killing an estimated 36,417 to 120,000 people.

 It doesn't end there.  The explosion had a significant global impact.  The massive plume of ash and dust released into the atmosphere by the explosion reached a height of 80 kilometers (50 miles) and has caused climate change worldwide for years.

 Average global temperatures have dropped by 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) in the years since the eruption, and the ash-laden atmosphere has kept the environment at bay for years.

 The eruption of Krakatoa, which caused so much destruction, is still considered one of the most significant and devastating natural disasters in human history.  Today, the Krakatoa caldera is known as Anak Krakatau as a new volcanic island.  This new volcanic island has been growing since 1927.  Even today, this island lies dormant as a reminder of the immense power of nature and the constant geological processes that shape our planet.