Krakatoa is a volcanic island in Indonesia between Java and Sumatra. On August 26th and 27th, 1883, the volcanic mountain Krakatoa erupted killing more than 37,000 people. Thousands more were injured in the eruption and the tidal waves that followed. As far away as 3,000 miles away people were able to hear the explosion. An incredible 2/3 of the island of Krakatoa was destroyed in the blast. The eruption of Krakatoa was one of the most devastating natural disasters in world history and volcanologists have given heavy amounts of research to the island's timeline before, after, and following the eruption of 1883. Before the eruption of 1883, Krakatoa had been recorded as having erupted in the past. Since before recorded history, the volcanoes on this island have erupted, causing minor destruction. Larger eruptions were reported since 416 AD, then again in 535 and 1680. What little documentation there is about the pre-1883 eruption has been highly interesting to geological researchers....
Besides the deaths, more than one million people were left homeless and hundreds of thousands homes and businesses were destroyed. The United Nations estimated that, "...the disaster will prove to be the costliest ever recorded, with full economic recovery not expected for up to 10 years in many areas. " (Intute: Science, engineering and technology: Tsunamis) The physical structure of the coast and the environment was severely damaged which meant that
Volcanoes Many people make the assumption that the most severe damage done by volcanoes results from the hot lava that flows from some volcanoes. For example, the lava that flows from Hawaiian volcanoes -- called "Hawaiian volcanism" -- are quite striking and make incredibly beautiful yet dangerous-looking videos and still photos. But that volcanic eruption is not nearly as hazardous as the eruption from a volcano like Mount St. Helens. This
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