On August 27, 1883, at 10:02, The eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia destroyed an island and caused tsunamis that created waves 46 meters high. and as far as South Africa. As a result of this explosion, The most powerful sound ever recorded.
Krakatoa was a small uninhabited island in Indonesia between Java and Sumatra. It rose 838 meters above sea level and was last volcanically active in 1680 before starting to roar again in 1883. That year’s explosion had a power comparable to a 200-megaton bomb (the Hiroshima explosion didn’t even reach 1).It has had a far-reaching impact on people and the environment, reports the Natural History Museum.
In terms of lives lost, Krakatoa (36,000 victims) was the second deadliest eruption in modern history, surpassing the 1815 eruption in Tambora (also in Indonesia), which killed at least 60,000 people.
These bursts carry an extreme fluctuation in air pressure that is perceived as sound at certain intervals.
Chronicles of the period collect testimonies that allow the explosion to be heard from the Andaman and Nicobar islands in India, more than 2,000 kilometers away; More than 3,200 kilometers away in New Guinea and Australia, and even on islands in the Indian Ocean about 5,000 kilometers away.
At a gas factory 160 kilometers from Krakatoa, a barometer read on the fateful day of its violent explosion recorded a sound of 172 decibels., an index that bursts the eardrum even from that distance. According to experts, with 120 decibels or even less, the ear can already hurt, and the human pain threshold is 130 decibels. From there, every 10 decibel increase above that is like a doubling of the noise.
It should be noted that at close range the sound of fireworks usually registers 145 decibels, and a fighter taking off is also around 150 decibels if close. The loudest physically possible sound in air is 194 decibels, slightly more than 180 decibels recorded near the takeoff of a space rocket.
Compressed air explosion during the Krakatoa eruption He also broke the eardrums of the sailors of a ship sailing 64 kilometers off the island.
“The explosions were so violent that the eardrums of more than half of my crew were shattered,” said Norham Castle, the captain of the British ship. “My final thoughts are with my beloved wife. I am convinced that the Day of Judgment has come,” he added.
The same shock wave continued to travel across the planet, getting softer as it moved away, but it took time to completely extinguish. According to Brüel & Kjær, still It could be heard like a gunshot from 4,800 kilometers from Krakatoa.
The pressure wave surrounded the earth three times in all directions., with shock waves colliding in various parts of the planet creating additional pressure spikes. The “great airwave”, as it was known, continued to circulate around the planet for some time and then fell below the threshold of hearing, thus ending the loudest sound in history.
The loudest sound since Krakatoa is believed to be the Tongan explosion that occurred in January 2022.Explosions of sound were heard all over Alaska, 6,200 kilometers away. Tonga also sent sound waves and tsunamis across the planet in a pressure wave traveling at more than 1,100 kilometers per hour and reaching an altitude of 450 kilometers, above the International Space Station’s location.
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Contact address of the environment department: crizclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
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