Krakatau - the volcano between Java and Sumatra, the most famous in the Malay Archipelago (Indonesia).This typically stratovidnoy, fire-breathing mountain seriously interested in volcanology, and they are driven not only of scientific interest, but also fears for the lives of many thousands of people.It is believed that its eruption in 1883 was the most powerful in the history of the written history of mankind.But let's start from the beginning.Scientists have discovered that once Java and Sumatra is one island, and the Sunda Strait did not exist.In 535 ADthere was a huge explosion of the volcano, leading to the division of the island, and global climate change on a planetary scale.
While the crash has not been described in the chronicles, tree rings studied by dendrochronology, allow to judge that he "auknulos" in various parts of the Earth.The volcano Krakatoa did not think then go to sleep, and his character is always manifested in powerful explosions and ash emissions.It was rather high and vast island (9 to 5 km), rising over a thousand meters above sea level.Together with other small islands it was the remains of a prehistoric volcano crater, the height of which, according to estimates volcanologists could be two thousand metrov.Istoricheskie chronicles mention a terrible year in 1680, but what happened in August 1883, exceeded all conceivable human representation of the destructivethe strength of the magma of the Earth.
eruption of Krakatoa began in May.At first, they were regular explosions, do not hurt anyone.However, these claps mountain plucked from the great mass of rock in the depths of the void.At dawn on August 27 deafening thunder boomed.At 150 km in Batavia (now Jakarta) blast demolished the roof and tore the door off its hinges, and the noise was heard in Madagascar (in thousands of 4 km from the epicenter).The next day, a large part of the island collapsed.The sea flooded the void.From the contact of the liquid magma and the explosion occurred gidromagmatichesky and water, met with a column of ash rose into the air, led to the formation of pyroclastic flow is 900 meters tall.He is on the speed of an express train collided with Sumatra, bringing death of two thousand people.
But that was not all.Fragments of rocks fell to the ground at 500 km from the epicenter, and volcanic ash settled on the east of the Indian Ocean.A layer of dust rose even in the rarefied strata of the mesosphere at a height of 70 km.Scientists estimate that the force of the explosion in the 10 thousand times higher than the strike atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.The shock wave several times spread through the globe.Giant, up to 30 m, the tsunami washed away about 300 towns and villages, killing 36,000 people.This tsunami rather weakened form, there was even the Atlantic coast of France!The very same volcano Krakatoa collapsed and sank.
Would you say that that was the end?In 1927, the eruption took place underwater and above the surface of the sea showed a slight height of 9 meters, the apex.The baby was named-Anak Krakatau volcano (Child of Krakatau).But this kid was growing by leaps and bounds.It destroyed the waves of the sea, however, he won himself more and more living space.In 1930, the ground was already erupting, lava flows and reinforced the walls of the new island, making them resistant to the erosion of the ocean.In 1933 he reached a height of 67 m, and in 1950 - 138 m. Then the sea for a short time managed to gain the upper hand and blur the island.
But Krakatoa did not give up: in 1960 the new island again rose above the water surface of 30 m. In 1968, it was already the height of 160 meters. Now it is growing at a rate of 13 centimeters per week.Its area is still far from the previous one, but the volcano is already close to it - 813 meters above sea level.Since 1994, Anak Krakatau, also became moody.Smaller eruptions occur almost every week.The most significant of which began in 2008 and ended in 2009.On the island are planted only volcanologists.The Indonesian government has banned residents settle closer than three kilometers from the dangerous mountains.
