Volcanoes and Such

We are so lucky. When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, granted there were casualties of people who were in the direct vicinity but for the most part, it merely created a hassle factor for the rest of us.

On August 26-27, 1883, an island in Indonesia housing a large volcanic mountain called Krakatoa experienced extensive eruptions for those two full days. The cataclysmic explosion was the loudest in recorded history. It was heard almost 2,000 miles away in Perth, Australia and on the island of Rodrigues, near Mauritius, almost 3,000 miles away. Every second of the explosions a million yards of ash, lava and pumice came crashing down the mountain where the massive avalanche pummeled the sea (the equivalent of 200 megatons of tnt).

This in turn caused a number of phenomenal tsunamis, more than two times higher than the devastating tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004.

165 villages and towns were destroyed and another 132 seriously damaged. At least, 36,417 were killed and many thousands injured. The explosion destroyed two thirds of the island.

The dramatic skyline in Edward Munch's painting "The Scream" was thought to be based on the global optical effects caused by the eruption and seen over Oslofjord, Norway.

Considering the devastation this event caused, it's amazing how little I knew about it. Perhaps everyone else knows more than I do. Regardless, there is no more powerful force to be reckoned with than Mother Nature.