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During
the time period just after the Krakatoa eruption, many people, places and objects were affected by the immense burst of power
from the "monster." - (The literal meaning of 'Krakatoa.') Because of this explosion, thousands of people were killed
and many buildings destroyed.
Before
we even start to talk about the effects on houses, people and other living things, we need to know about the explosion and
the affect it had on the atmosphere. The third blast from the volcano, which was also the strongest, sent pressure waves into
the atmosphere. These were able to be measured by barometers at weather stations all over the world. These pressure waves
circled the earth for several days until they eventually lost their power and faded away.
For
two days Krakatoa and the area around it was covered in the darkness of black clouds. These black clouds were the remains
of Krakatoa. Floating around in the air along with that there was a shower of black particles from the volcano which covered
many of the surrounding islands with a layer of ash. The clouds blocked out the sun for many days, and afterwards caused brilliant
red sunsets, which continued for years. Also volcanic ashes were blown as far away as New York, and into the upper atmosphere
changing the weather of the Earth for years to follow.
The
most destructive effect of the eruption were the tidal waves. Tidal waves are caused by activities that move large amounts
of water. Such activities are seaquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions. Tsunamis (better known as tidal waves) were the
major cause of death from the eruption. The waves were about 100 feet high and sometimes higher. Many of the inhabitants of
the Indonesian islands were washed away with waves, among the islands hit were Java and Sumatra the total death count was
around 36,000 people. These waves even reached as far away as the English Channel. Along with the explosion five cubic miles
of magma was pulverized and thrown out into the atmosphere. The effects of the eruption have worn out by now but what they
have done will be remembered for a very long time. | 
