On the islands of Indonesia,
a geological beast is awakening.
Krakatoa is about to blow.
Again.
It's August 1883 in Indonesia,
and one of the most catastrophic
natural events in recorded history
has just occurred.
Krakatoa, a volcano on
the island of Rakata,
has erupted violently, sending enormous
amounts of gas and ash high into the air.
The explosion was so energetic
that its sound
traveled a distance
about the width of the U.S.
Even though this volcanic island
was uninhabited
at the time,
the devastating aftermath of the eruption
led to a death toll
as high as 36,000 people.
And that's not all.
It also caused a little climate change.
So if Krakatoa
were to erupt today,
would it be game over for humanity?
If this volcano violently erupted,
life on Earth could turn into a hellscape.
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Consume ethically now because if this monster blows,
the only thing you can buy is time.
Before jumping right into the heart
of this volcanic disaster scenario,
there's one important detail
you need to know.
Following its eruption in 1883,
a large part of the Krakatoa volcano
collapsed into the sea.
It kept erupting underwater,
and that allowed the volcano
to climb back out of the ocean.
But when Krakatoa erupted back then,
it was twice as tall as it is today.
For today's Krakatoa
to be extremely dangerous,
it would have to return
to its original size.
So let's imagine a scenario
where the 1883 eruption never happened.
And this volcano would be a ticking
time bomb ready to blow.
If you lived in Indonesia's
capital, Jakarta,
you'd be among the first to notice
something was wrong.
For months,
you'd be hearing strange,
dull booming noises
followed by your doors and windows
violently rattling.
These booms would be the result
of eruptions below
the surface of the Indian Ocean.
In the days
after these booms,
Krakatoa would start to blow up.
Small amounts of ash would rain down
as far away
as Southern India or Thailand.
Closer to Rakata Island,
where you could see Krakatoa,
large volumes of steam and smoke
would be rising from its peak
into the atmosphere.
Over the next few weeks, massive amounts
of volcanic glass
and molten rock would be ejected.
This rock material would blanket
parts of the ocean’s
surface around the island.
And that would just be the beginning
of the disruption to the fishing
industry, shipping lanes
and to all life forms
in the coastal ecosystem.
Eventually, that tower of steam, smoke
and rocky material would get huge.
The volcano would violently spew gas
and ash as high up
as 25 km (15 mi) into the air.
Impressive, but this portal to
the underworld is saving its big show
for tomorrow.
The next day, this beast
would explode with so much energy
that its sound waves
would circle the globe four times.
And while not everyone on Earth
would hear the noise,
you could catch it in Australia.
Yeah.
Even 160 km (100 mi) away,
the explosion would sound
louder than a jet engine.
Hopefully,
you won't be any closer than that.
Because if you were too close,
the bang would instantly rupture
your eardrums.
Following the explosion,
the surrounding regions
would be plunged into darkness.
That’s because all the volcanic
ash that Krakatoa spit out into the sky
would be blocking the sunlight
for the next three days.
But the worst would be yet to come.
This massive explosion
would cause the volcano to collapse.
Large parts of Krakatoa
would fall into the sea,
triggering a series
of devastating tsunamis.
Millions of people
in the surrounding area
of Indonesia would be at risk of death.
If you lived in Jakarta,
you'd want to find some very high ground.
Because a wave over 37 m (120 ft)
tall would drench the capital.
People in coastal areas
as far away as Hawaii
and South America would be on tsunami
watch as well.
If flights weren't already canceled,
planes would start
falling out of the sky.
Visibility would be reduced to a minimum,
but the big threat would come
from the volcanic ash clouds.
They can damage flight controls and cause
engines to fail.
The eruption would produce
an enormous amount of dust and debris.
So much that,
if it all fell onto one place,
like New York City,
only the antenna of the Empire State Building
would be peaking out.
Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia
and Australia would be devastated
by all the ash
falling onto their farmland.
Many crops and livestock
would struggle to survive
in this ash-contaminated environment.
Now, believe it or not,
something positive
might come from all this destruction.
It could be a cure for climate change.
Well, at least for a little while.
When Krakatoa exploded in 1883,
it lowered the average global temperature
for several years.
Plus, all that fine dust in the air
would create some stunning views.
For the next year, sunsets and sunrises
would take on
a spectacular red and orange glow.
And the Sun and the Moon would appear
greener than you've
ever seen them before.
Speaking of changing the Sun's color,
what would life be like if the Sun turned
from yellow to blue?
Well, you know what I always say.
That's a story for another
WHAT IF.