At 10:02 a.m. on August 27, Krakatoa erupted with a sound that is, to date, considered the loudest sound ever clocking in at 310 decibels. For reference, the sound from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 248 decibels.
Experts believe anyone standing within 10 miles of the explosion would have been rendered instantly deaf. The eruption was loud enough that it was heard by residents of Perth, Australia, some 1,900 miles away, as well as residents of the island of Rodrigues which was 3,000 miles away.
Experts believe anyone within 10 miles of the eruption was rendered completely deaf.
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for comparison. Notice the compression condensation that forms from the shock wave in the atmosphere
Krakatoa shockwave circled Earth in 34 hours
On August 26, 1883, barometers around the world measured changes in atmospheric pressure — including those in Calcutta, India,
six hours and 47 minutes after the explosion.
Eight hours after the explosion, the increase was noted in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia — and the event repeated itself in St. Petersburg, Russia,
12 hours after the explosion.
The pressure rise then spread to Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Paris, and Rome. It finally reached New York City, Washington D.C., and Toronto, Canada
18 hours after the explosion.
Incredibly, the sound wave created by the volcano continued to reverberate around the globe, causing a spike in air pressure repeating roughly every
34 hours. Spikes were detected in more than
50 cities around the world, thus indicating how long it actually takes for sound to circle the entire Earth.