27 August: Krakatoa

On 27 August 1883 the East Indian island volcano Krakatoa in the Sundra Strait, between Java and Sumatra erupted, one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions in modern history. 10 facts about this event:

1. The volcanic activity actually started in May 1883 when people aboard a passing ship from Germany called the Elizabeth spotted 6 mile (9.6km) high clouds of ash above the volcano. For the next couple of months, it was something of a tourist attraction with sightseeing boats being chartered to view it and people on the islands holding festivals to celebrate the light shows in the sky at night. Little did they know.
2. The first blast of the main eruption took place on 26 August sending a cloud of gas 15 miles (24km) into the sky. It's thought that debris from that eruption blocked the neck of the volcano's cone, causing pressure to build, making the main eruption on the 27th all the more destructive.
3. Krakatoa, also sometimes known as Krakatau, is located in the strait between Java and Sumatra, part of the Indonesian Island Arc. Before the eruption there were three volcanic peaks there, part of an undersea caldera from a previous huge eruption.
4. The explosion caused by the eruption was ten thousand times more explosive than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It was rated 6 on the Volcanic Explosion Index. In comparison, the Mount St Helens explosion in 1980 was a 5, ten times less explosive.
5. The explosion was heard in Perth in Australia, 2,800 miles/4,500km away. The shock waves from it circled the planet. picked up by barographs all over the world, at least seven times. The shock waves caused larger than normal waves as far away as the English Channel.
6. More than 36,000 people were killed, not only from the blast itself but also from the tsunami the collapse of the volcano into the sea caused. Small islands nearby were completely overwhelmed by a 120 foot tall wall of water which completely destroyed 165 villages. A steamship called the Berouw was carried a mile inland, killing everyone on board. The Loudon, another ship anchored nearby, was saved thanks to its quick thinking captain who managed to turn the bow of the ship towards the wave and ride over the crest.
7. According to one account, a German quarry manager who was swept from the roof of his office building by the wave, survived by grabbing hold of an enormous Crocodile which was being swept along beside him, climbing onto its back and holding on by digging his thumbs into its eye sockets. 3km later the wave broke and the man let go of the crocodile and ran for his life, living to tell the tale.
8. The effects of the explosion were observed and felt for years afterwards. Average global temperatures dropped by 1.2 degrees for the next five years.
9. It also changed the colour of the sky for about three years afterwards. Sunsets became more spectacular and vivid even in Europe and the United States as sulphur dioxide and other gases filtered the amount of sunlight reaching Earth. It's now believed that the sky in Edvard Munch's painting, The Scream, is of a Krakatoa sunset in Norway. The moon appeared Blue or Green for years as particles in the ash clouds scattered Red light. Lavender suns were also observed.
10. There is still an active volcano in the area. Some years after the eruption, in 1927, a new volcanic cone appeared which was named Anak Krakatoa, or Child of Krakatoa. It erupts from time to time, although so far, only mildly, registering 1 on the VEI scale.

My latest books

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon Kindle

Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two