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Krakatoa Eruption Timeline

(August 26 - 27, 1883)

The Krakatoa eruption of 1883 was a catastrophic volcanic event in Indonesia that destroyed most of the island, killed over 36,000 people, generated massive tsunamis, and produced the loudest sound ever recorded, heard nearly 3,000 miles away. Less

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Pre-Eruption Activity

Intense seismic activity around Krakatau

1880

In the years before the 1883 eruption, seismic activity around the Krakatau volcano was intense, foreshadowing the catastrophic explosion to come.

Image source: 1883 eruption of Krakatoa

Intense seismic activity around Krakatau

Earthquakes felt as far away as Australia

1880

Earthquakes linked to the restless volcano were felt as far away as the Australian Northern Territory, demonstrating the scale of the pre-eruption unrest.

Earthquake damages a lighthouse

1880

One of the pre-eruption earthquakes, occurring in 1880, was strong enough to damage a lighthouse, underscoring the growing danger in the Sunda Strait region.

The 1883 Eruption

Krakatoa begins erupting

May 19, 1883 - Oct 21, 1883

Between 19 May and 21 October 1883, the volcanic island of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait, then part of the Dutch East Indies, began erupting in a sequence lasting more than five months.

Strombolian activity begins

May 20, 1883

On 20 May 1883, Strombolian activity began on Krakatoa, marking the start of sustained explosive eruptions from the island's volcanic cones.

Regular steam venting from Perboewatan

May 20, 1883 - Aug 26, 1883

Steam venting began to occur regularly from Perboewatan, the northernmost of the island's three cones, signaling escalating activity in the months before the climax.

Caldera not extensively filled with deposits

Aug 27, 1883

Most of the material deposited by the volcano is magmatic in origin, and the caldera formed by the eruption is not extensively filled with deposits from the 1883 eruption.

Caldera forms from the eruption

Aug 27, 1883

The cataclysmic eruption destroyed much of the island and formed a caldera, most of whose material deposited by the volcano is magmatic in origin.

Violent phase ends by late afternoon

Aug 27, 1883

Although the violent phase of the 1883 eruption was over by the late afternoon of 27 August, the volcano's story was far from finished, with reports continuing for months.

The Burning Ashes of Ketimbang

Aug 27, 1883

Around noon on 27 August 1883, a rain of hot ash fell around Ketimbang (now Kalianda in Lampung Province) in Sumatra, killing approximately 1,000 people in what became known as 'The Burning Ashes of Ketimbang'.

Climactic explosions of 27 August

Aug 27, 1883

On 27 August 1883, Krakatoa unleashed its most violent explosions, among the most powerful volcanic blasts in recorded history, devastating the surrounding region.

Reports of continued eruption for months

Aug 29, 1883 - Dec 31, 1883

After light returned by 29 August, reports continued for months claiming that Krakatoa was still in eruption, reflecting lingering uncertainty about the volcano's state.

Light returns by 29 August

Aug 29, 1883

After days of darkness caused by the massive ash clouds, light finally returned to the region by 29 August 1883, revealing the devastation left behind.

Small mud eruptions continue into October

Sep 1, 1883 - Oct 31, 1883

Small eruptions, mostly of mud, continued into October 1883, representing the dying phases of the great eruption.

Seismic activity persists until February 1884

Nov 1, 1883 - Feb 28, 1884

Additional seismic activity was reported until February 1884, though any reports after October 1883 were later dismissed by Rogier Verbeek's subsequent investigation into the eruption.

Global Aftermath

San Diego receives 660 millimetres of rain

Jul 1883 - Jun 1884

San Diego received 660 millimetres (25.97 inches) of rain during the same water year, part of the anomalous precipitation attributed to the Krakatoa eruption.

Los Angeles receives 970 millimetres of rain

Jul 1883 - Jun 1884

During the remarkable water year, Los Angeles received 970 millimetres (38.18 inches) of rain, an extraordinary total linked to the climatic effects of the eruption.

Record rainfall hits Southern California

Jul 1883 - Jun 1884

The record rainfall that hit Southern California during the water year from July 1883 to June 1884 has been attributed to the Krakatoa eruption and its disruption of global weather patterns.

Sunset skies tinted red in the Western hemisphere

Aug 27, 1883 - Dec 31, 1883

During 1883, the powerful volcanic eruption deeply tinted sunset skies red in parts of the Western hemisphere, leaving a striking visual mark across the globe.

Spectacular sunsets worldwide

Aug 27, 1883 - Dec 31, 1883

The eruption produced spectacular sunsets worldwide for many months, as airborne particles scattered sunlight into vivid shades of red and orange.

Sky darkened worldwide for years

Aug 27, 1883 - Dec 31, 1886

The 1883 Krakatoa eruption darkened the sky worldwide for years afterwards as vast quantities of ash and aerosols were injected high into the atmosphere.

Red skies persist into 1884

Jan 1, 1884 - Dec 31, 1884

The vividly colored sunset skies produced by the eruption persisted into 1884, about a decade before Edvard Munch painted The Scream under their remembered influence.

Legacy and Later Studies

No signs of activity until 1913

Nov 1, 1883 - 1913

No signs of further activity were seen at Krakatoa until 1913, when a new eruption was reported, ending three decades of dormancy.

Image source: Anak Krakatoa

No signs of activity until 1913

Rogier Verbeek investigates the eruption

Feb 28, 1884

Dutch geologist Rogier Verbeek conducted a subsequent investigation into the eruption, dismissing reports of activity after October 1883 and producing an authoritative account of the disaster.

Image source: Rogier Verbeek

Rogier Verbeek investigates the eruption

Munch paints The Scream

1893

Edvard Munch painted The Scream in 1893, and its reddish sky in the background is believed to be the artist's memory of the effects of the powerful Krakatoa eruption.

Image source: The Scream

Munch paints The Scream

Eruption reported in 1913

1913

In 1913, an eruption was reported at Krakatoa, the first sign of renewed volcanic activity since the catastrophic events of 1883.

Bathymetric charts made in 1919

1919

Bathymetric charts made in 1919 recorded the seafloor around the former island, preserving evidence that would prove significant decades later.

Charts reveal bulge of rising magma

1930

Examinations after 1930 of bathymetric charts made in 1919 showed evidence of a bulge indicative of magma near the surface at the site that became Anak Krakatoa.

Astronomer links The Scream to Krakatoa

2004

In 2004, an astronomer proposed the idea that the red sky shown in Edvard Munch's 1893 painting The Scream is an accurate depiction of the sky over Norway after the eruption.

Key Facts

  1. The final and most powerful explosion on August 27, 1883, was heard as far as Rodrigues Island near Mauritius, roughly 3,000 miles away, making it the loudest sound in recorded history.
  2. The eruption triggered deadly tsunamis up to 120 feet high that devastated coastal villages along the Sunda Strait, killing approximately 36,000 people.
  3. Volcanic ash and sulfur aerosols ejected into the atmosphere lowered global temperatures by about 0.5°C (0.9°F) for months and caused vivid sunsets worldwide.
  4. The pressure wave from the explosion circled the globe multiple times and was recorded on barometers around the world for days afterward.
  5. A new volcanic island, Anak Krakatau ('Child of Krakatoa'), emerged from the caldera in 1927 and remains active today.

Source

This Krakatoa Eruption timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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