Krakatoa

This passage is about the volcano Krakatoa.

Lexile Level: 740L

Categories: History People & Places Animals & Nature

Clapping your hands is pretty loud. When a whole audience applauds it can be deafening. But what is the loudest sound that people have ever heard? In 1883 the volcano Krakatoa violently erupted. Krakatoa was on an island in Indonesia. People as far away as Australia heard the explosion. That's over 2000 miles away! Over fifteen cubic miles of rocky material were blasted out of the volcano. Hot ash and stones the size of grapefruit rained down on the decks of nearby ships. Tidal waves up to 100 feet high washed ashore, wiping away entire villages. Over 36,000 people died from the eruption and its aftereffects. The island that Krakatoa was on was almost entirely destroyed by the eruption. But over the last eighty years the island has been rebuilt by the lava of many small eruptions. The new island is called "Anak Krakatu," which means "child of Krakatoa."