Lon Melton, age 13, of Tucson, Ariz., for his question:
What was the world's biggest explosion?
It was not a hydrogen bomb, a super charge of dynamite or the launching of a satellite. In fact, the worlds biggest explosion was not man‑made at all. It was set off by nature when a huge old volcano blew off its top and took with it most of the island on which it stood. In 1883 the island of Krakatoa, some 18 square miles in area, was blown to dusty fragments and the noise of the explosion was heard almost 3,000 miles away.
Perhaps such volcanic explosions occurred often in prehistoric times. But the eruption of Krakatoa was certainly the biggest explosion of recorded history. The volcanic island stood in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra. It vans a tropical isle of lush vegetation, dominated by the surly peak of the volcano Krakatoa, 2,632 feet above sea level.
This Indonesian region had a long history of volcanic violence. In May of 1883, no one was surprised when Krakatoa began to grumble cna stir. The ground trombles with earthquakes and the volcanic cone poured forth dust and pumice. But the violence that began on August 26 was recorded around the world and it lasted for three shalttering days and nights.
The volcano, it seams, had built up tremendous pressure and was unable to erupt in the normal manner. It exploded, blowing off its peak and tearing a great hole in the earth's crust. Into this hole poured the sea. The cold water came into contact with molten rock far below. The water was turned to steam and exploded forth time after time. The four worst explosions occurred on August 27.
Shock waves from the explosions spread out and met on the apposite side of the world. There they bounced beck and returned. Records from stations all over the world show that these shock waves went around the globe and bounced back three times before dying out.
Tidal waves piled up fifty foot high and no ship in the neighborhood survived. Nearby islands survived. Nearby islands were swamped end ylirh sons from these waves were felt at Cape Horn and the English Channel. Dust was tossed high into the air and blown clear around the world. On islands 100 miles away, the air was so dense with dusty ash that lamps were lit at noon.
The noise of the explosion was heard 2000 miles away in Australia md Ceylon and almost 3,000 miles away in Uruguay. The dust in the higher atmosphere remaine CIL and added color to dawns and sunsets for 18 months after the explosion.
It is estimated that 36,000 persons perished when Krakatoa exploaded. No living thing survived where the tropical isle had been. The small strip of land which remained above sea level was buried in ashes and hit for many weeks.
Nature, it seemed, had done her worst and no one expected to find life again on Krakatoa. However, some 25 years later, the island was revisited by a group of scientists. It was reclothod in new vegetation. They found there birds, snakes, snails, lizards and quite a variety of insects. There were also a few mammals. Some of these bold immigrants had been cast ashore by the sea. The plants sprang from seeds wafted there by the breezes. Nature, had relented and repopulated her little tropical island.