Krakatoa (also spelled Krakatau), a volcano located in the Sunda Strait in what is now the nation of Indonesia, blew up on August 27, 1883. Other volcanoes have been larger, have emitted more ash and material into the air, and have resulted in more death and destruction, but the eruption of Krakatoa was the first event recorded globally by scientists and newspapers. Thanks to undersea cable communication, newspapers reported the Krakatoa explosion the same day it happened, and scientific instruments existed to record the devastating effects of the explosion. Simon Winchester, in a fascinating and very readable book, Krakatoa, the Day the World Exploded, believes this event was the beginning of the global village, the first time that a clear link was made from one event to global repercussions.
Winchester outlines the effort of the Royal Society in Great Britain to document the results of the eruption. One of the things that the society collected was surface pressure wave observations from around the world. These pressure waves were registered on recording barographs that were popular at the time for recording barometric pressure and predicting weather changes. The surface pressure waves from the eruption of Krakatoa registered a distinctive 2-hour pattern--like an earthquake in the air, according to Winchester. The volcano sent out this inaudible shock wave that traveled at approximately 700 miles (1,126 km) per hour. And the wave moved around the Earth seven times! The eruption also produced an audible sound wave heard nearly 3,000 miles (4,828 km) away, the equivalent of hearing an explosion in New York City that happened in San Francisco.
Tsunamis, colder temperatures, and brilliant sunsets resulted from the Krakatoa eruption and also spread across the globe. The sea waves did not travel around the globe, but were recorded as far away as the south coast of France, 10,000 nautical miles (18,520 km) from the volcano. The sea waves traveled as fast as 400 miles (644 km) per hour and moved south and west of the volcano because of the reefs, sandbanks, and other impediments to the east.
The effect of the eruption on temperature was not studied until 1913, 30 years after the eruption. It showed that there was a 1 degree Fahrenheit drop in temperature, consistent with what is known about the effect of other volcanic eruptions. Today, we can find evidence of the eruption in layers of volcanic ash deposited in ice cores and frost rings in trees that have suffered through a cold winter.
The colorful sunsets that resulted from the debris blown into the air were noticed around the world. It's estimated that material was thrown as much as 120,000 feet (36,576 m) to 160,000 feet (48,768 m) into the air. Small particles thrown so high in the air stay suspended for long periods of time, and so the sunsets persisted until 1886. As the Royal Society tracked them, a seasonal pattern emerged. This pattern has helped modern meteorologists understand movement of the jet streams.
This photo of Anak Krakatoa was taken in 1997. [Photo courtesy of Mike Lyvers; copyrighted by Mike Lyvers]
The eruption of Krakatoa can be the basis for many classroom activities.
- Krakatoa's major eruption occurred at precisely 10:02 a.m. Students might test their math and map reading skills by tracking the pressure wave or the sea wave by the time it would have arrived at various locations. For instance, they could pick a location 3,000 miles (4,828 km) away and determine when the pressure wave would have arrived as it reverberated around the world, or they could determine the time that the sea wave arrived at several locations west of the volcano.
- Students could read the Winchester book and either report on it or choose one of the many fascinating consequences of the eruption for further research.
Students could research global environmental systems today. Possibilities include:
- What are the global consequences of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?
- How does El Nino affect weather around the Earth?
- What is happening to the ozone layer?
- Artists were fascinated by the sunsets that resulted from the explosion of Krakatoa. Students might want to try their hand at painting a brilliant sunset, as they learn more about how the seasons affected the spread of the dust particles.
- A new volcano called Anak Krakatoa ("child of Krakatoa") is growing in its "parent's" place. Students might find out about the rate of growth, why it's growing, and what the consequences might be for one of the most densely populated areas on Earth.
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Amateur Seismic Centre: Tsunamis
Read about tsunamis, seiches, and landslide-induced water waves. Then find "Historic Tsunamis" in the right-hand navigation bar and click on Krakatoa. There you'll find a short overview of the details of the explosions including a vivid description of the devastating tsunami associated with the eruptions.
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How Volcanoes Work
This site, from the Geology Department of San Diego State University, has an excellent array of materials about how volcanoes work and gives you a chance to test your knowledge.
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Krakatau, Indonesia (1883)
This site includes descriptive passages from people who experienced the eruption of Krakatoa, as well as information about the eruption. It is part of the larger site described above.
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PBS Online: Savage Earth
Animations and movie clips of volcano, earthquake, and tsunami activity help students visualize plate tectonics and more. Specific information about Krakatoa can be found in the tsunami section, "Waves of Destruction."
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National Public Radio: Remembering Krakatoa's Cataclysm
Listen to an NPR interview with Simon Winchester about his research and his book.
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Wild Indonesia: Birth of an Island
An interesting aspect of the growth of Anak Krakatoa is the reestablishment of life on the island. This PBS site describes the eruption and the way in which plants and animals are making the new island their home.
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Volcano Live: Anak Krakatau
For a quick look at some of the plants that are taking hold on the new island, see the photos on this site.
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The Tsunami Page of Dr. George P.C.: The Great Explosion of the Krakatau Volcano ("Krakatoa") of August 26, 1883, in Indonesia
Another good overview of the eruption, including pictures and maps.
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Surface and Interior of Earth
This site, from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, includes a good overview of volcanoes and plate tectonics.
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The Why Files: Volcano Lovers
This is an excellent overview of volcanoes, with specifics about Krakatoa on pages 8 and 9 and a glossary on page 11.
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University of North Dakota: Volcano World
There are a variety of lessons and activities on this site as well as background material and career information. For easy access, some of the information on the site has been separated out and appears below and in the Ready-to-Go Activities section.
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Krakatau, Indonesia
Pictures and descriptions of recent activity on Anak Krakatoa are included on this site, part of the larger Volcano World site described above.
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Krakatau, Sundra Strait
More pictures and descriptions of recent activity on Anak Krakatoa, and this too is part of the larger Volcano World site above. Check out the map that shows an outline of Krakatoa before the volcano blew--it's pretty amazing!
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Astronomical Sleuths Link Krakatoa to Edvard Munch's Painting The Scream
This article from Sky & Telescope reports on the inspiration for the famous painting The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch--the vivid red twilights that lit up the sky over Norway after Krakatoa erupted.
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Exploring the Environment: Volcanoes
Grades 7-12. Not all volcanoes are equally dangerous. The activity invites students to consider the hazards of living near several types of volcano using the information on the site to research their answers.
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Building Volcano Models
Grades 4-12 (from the Volcano World site mentioned in the Web Resources section). Here are instructions for making more than a dozen volcanoes. Number 8 is recommended especially for those taking high school physics. It's called the Electronic Volcano and involves a battery, a condenser, wires, a bulb, and resistors.
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Vacation Excitement!
Grades 6-9 (from the Volcano World site mentioned in the Web Resources section). Students work in small groups to plan a quick retreat from an area where a volcano is about to erupt. The site provides a map of the area and an evacuation scenario to download.
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Strombolian Eruption Simulation
Grades 9-12 (from the Volcano World site mentioned in the Web Resources section). To study eruptions under a variety of conditions, this applet lets you vary maximum and minimum wind velocities, particle density, particle diameter, type of volcano (Stromboli or Hawaiian), and more.
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Virtually Climb Stromboli via the "Normal Route"
Grades 6-12. Now that you've simulated Strombolian eruptions (in the activity above), take a virtual hike to Stromboli's summit. This site gives you a sense of what it's like to climb to the top of an active volcano and peer at the fireworks. You can take side trips to see local flora and fauna. You can also view where you are going using an aerial photo and a contour map.
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Chasing lava: a geologist's adventures at the Hawaiian volcano observatory
 Date: 2003 Grade(s): 9 - Post-Sec. Cost: $16.00 ENC#: 026990
High school students interested in finding out more about geology or volcanology as a career will enjoy reading this book about a geologist at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Blast: the volcano files
Date: 1999 Grade(s): 5 - 9 Cost: $9.95 ENC#: 019918
This text provides a quick overview of volcano facts.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Earth's catastrophic past
 Date: 1998 Grade(s): 6 - 12 Cost: $59.95 ENC#: 024202
Nothing is as impressive as volcanoes in action. This video shows some excellent footage of volcanoes and provides visual instruction about plate tectonics.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Volcanoes
 Date: 1999 Grade(s): 5 - 9 Cost: $49.95 ENC#: 024064
An excellent overview of volcanoes, including an information library, pictures that students can use to compile a slide show, movie clips, and a quiz.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Plate tectonics: the way the Earth works
Date: 2002 Grade(s): 6 - 8 Cost: $24.00 ENC#: 024684
To understand volcanoes, students must understand plate tectonics, and the activities in this book from the Lawrence Hall of Science will help middle school students through hands-on activities.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Catastrophic events
Date: 2000 Grade(s): 6 - 8 Cost: $54.95 - $99.95 ENC#: 020918
This student text and teacher guide for middle school students covers storms, as well as earthquakes and volcanoes. It provides excellent classroom activities and plenty of pictures. Note: The teacher's edition of this textbook is a very good teacher resource.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Earth's dynamic geosphere
Date: 2001 Grade(s): 9 - 12 Cost: $19.95 - $49.95 ENC#: 021228
This module for high school students in the EarthComm series from the American Geological Institute covers every aspect of volcanoes, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. The module includes a student book and a teacher's edition (which is an excellent teacher resource), and it can be used with the GETIT interactive technology package described below.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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GETIT (Geoscience Education Through Interactive Technology)
Date: 2000 Grade(s): 6 - 12 Cost: $195.00 ENC#: 019033
This CD includes inquiry activities to help students learn about volcanoes, earthquakes, and plate tectonics. It requires a PC computer with both CD-ROM and floppy disk drive.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Volcanoes
Date: 1998 Grade(s): 9 - Post-Sec. Cost: Out of Print ENC#: 020069
This is an excellent and readable text about volcanoes and includes a chapter on Krakatoa as well as other major volcanoes. The book is out of print, so perhaps you can find it at your local library.
(For more details see ENC Record)
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Perils of a restless planet: scientific perspectives on natural disasters
Date: 1997 Grade(s): 11 - Post-Sec. Cost: $27.95 ENC#: 016901
To put the eruption of Krakatoa in perspective, read this overview of natural disasters that includes a chapter on Krakatoa.
(For more details see ENC Record)
Find more materials by searching Curriculum Resources on ENC Online using these terms: Earth science, Plate tectonics, Tsunamis, or Volcanoes.
Realizing that there are many ways to use this Classroom Calendar entry, we chose these standards because they relate to the entry, in full or in part. If you want to explore the standards further, please use the link(s) provided.
Connections to NSES
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Understanding about inquiry (5-8)
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry: Understanding about inquiry (9-12)
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science: Structure of the earth system (5-8)
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science: Energy in the earth system (9-12)
Content Standard D: Earth and Space Science: Origin and evolution in the earth system (9-12)
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Natural hazards (5-8)
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Natural and human-induced hazards (9-12)
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives: Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges (9-12)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (5-8)
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science: Science as a human endeavor (9-12)
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Gay Gordon
Publications
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First posted: 5/14/2003
Last modified: 1/30/2004 |
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