In August of 1883, the world experienced the loudest sound ever recorded — the catastrophic eruption of Krakatoa, a volcanic island in Indonesia.
Indonesia is home to more than 130 active volcanoes, the most of any country on Earth. But Krakatoa had been silent for nearly two centuries before it suddenly reawakened on May 20, 1883. A German warship reported seeing a massive ash cloud rising seven miles into the sky. For months, rumblings and blasts continued, building toward a cataclysmic climax.
By August 25, Krakatoa’s eruptions intensified dramatically. The following afternoon, a column of black ash soared 89,000 feet into the atmosphere, and explosions were heard every ten minutes. Then, on August 27, the volcano unleashed four colossal blasts over just four and a half hours. The third of these explosions became the loudest sound in human history — so powerful it was heard 3,000 miles away in Perth, Australia, and Sri Lanka.
At a distance of 100 miles, the sound was measured at 180 decibels — roughly equivalent to standing next to a rocket launch or the firing of a massive howitzer cannon. The eruption itself released an estimated 200 megatons of TNT, about 13,000 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The explosion’s shockwaves circled the globe multiple times. Air pressure spikes from Krakatoa were recorded worldwide, and sailors up to 40 miles away suffered ruptured eardrums from the force of the blast. Massive tsunamis followed, with waves towering over 120 feet high when the volcano collapsed into the sea.
For days, the sun was blotted out. Ash darkened the skies for three days, and the cloud spread 275 miles from the island. Globally, the eruption triggered a volcanic winter — Earth’s average temperature dropped by 1.2°C (2.2°F) the following year due to sunlight-blocking ash and debris.
The aftereffects were both devastating and strangely beautiful. For up to three years, fiery red and orange sunsets painted skies around the world. Many believe these surreal skies inspired Edvard Munch’s haunting 1893 masterpiece, The Scream.
The human toll was immense. According to Dutch East Indies records, 165 villages and towns were destroyed and over 36,000 lives were lost, mostly to the tsunamis. Two-thirds of Krakatoa itself vanished beneath the waves.
But nature, resilient as ever, rebuilt. In 1927, fishermen discovered a new island emerging from the collapsed caldera — Anak Krakatau, or “Child of Krakatoa.” The volcano remains active today, with periodic eruptions reminding the world of its fiery heritage. In 2018, part of the island collapsed again, triggering another deadly tsunami.
Krakatoa’s eruption reshaped landscapes, altered the global climate, and created echoes — both literal and cultural — that still resonate more than a century later. It remains a humbling reminder of the Earth’s immense and unpredictable power.