Today in history: Krakatoa explodes, 1883

Anak (son of) Krakatoa  This is just a small cone that formed after the eruption.

Krakatoa before it erupted on August 27, 1883
That image may involve some artistic license, since
the mountain was about 2,600 feet tall.
11 cubic miles of material were ejected

Krakatoa after the August 27, 1883 eruption
Which gives you some scale to appreciate how much bigger
 the island was before the eruption.  

As big as Krakatoa eruption was and wide spread its effects, it pales compared to the effects of the Toba Supervolcano eruption, which occurred approximately 74,000 years ago and led to the near extinction of human beings.  And there is a super volcano hot spot at Yellowstone that is overdue for a major eruption.

Toba;s erruption 74,000 years ago was 12% bigger than Yellowstone's largest known eruption ~2 million years ago.

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