Krakatau

The formation of Krakatau
Thousands of years ago, Krakatau was a large, cone-shaped volcanic mountain rising out of the sea. It erupted and was destroyed, and a 6 kilometre crater, or caldera, was left. Most of the caldera was under the sea, and just 4 peaks along the rim showed above the water, looking like islands. Further volcanic activity created new cones, which grew together and formed one island that filled most of the caldera. It was called Krakatau.

A huge eruption
Krakatau was dormant, meaning inactive, from 1680, and was thought to be extinct. However, at 10 a.m on 27 August 1883, it erupted in the biggest explosion ever recorded on earth. The explosion was heard more than 4000 kilometres away. Ash was thrown 80 kilometres into the air, and fell in places hundreds of kilometres away. Following the eruption, 40 metre high tsunamis (tidal waves) swept over the coasts of Java and Sumatra, drowning 36,000 people and destroying 165 villages. The dust from the eruption remained in the atmosphere for more than three months.

New islands appear
Little of the original volcano remains, but new islands appeared afterwards. The largest is Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau), an active volcano that has been growing steadily since it appeared in 1928.

Find out more about volcanoes.

If you use any of this information in your own work, acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
A Trip to Indonesia (2001). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

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Updated August 2001