Book Review: Krakatoa - Page 2

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Mar 4, 2005

In 1883, Krakatoa seems to have begun to erupt on May 10th, when tremors were felt on the nearby islands. Further eruptions and earthquakes were felt on May 22nd, and reported to the rest of the world by telegraph. The final eruption of the volcano seems to have begun in August, with more earthquakes, culminating in several large explosions the morning of Monday, August 27th, 1883, and finishing with a gigantic explosion at 10:02 am. This final explosion was heard as far away as 3,000 miles, sent an enormous shock wave of air pressure around the world seven times, and spawned at least one tsunami. The eruption also spewed out millions of tons of dust and ash that produced spectacular sunsets and caused a drop of about one degree Fahrenheit in the worldwide temperature.

In addition to descriptions of the geologic forces that lead to the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, Krakatoa also contains plenty of information about the social, political, and economic forces that influenced the reactions of the inhabitants of Java and Sumatra before and after the eruption. Winchester also describes the flora and fauna of the region and how the collision of the plates affected their evolution along what is now known as the Wallace Line (for Alfred Russel Wallace, the naturalist who first realized that life forms were markedly different on the opposite sides of this line). He also discussed the development of the scientific theory of plate tectonics by Alfred Wegener.

Winchester provides many maps and illustrations throughout Krakatoa which assist in the understanding of the history of Krakatoa, as well as reinforce the Victorian theme of the book. There are also informative footnotes, a list of Further Reading and Viewing, and a useful index.

For more books by Simon Winchester, be sure to read my book review of The Map that Changed the World.

For more Recommended Books about Paleontology, be sure to visit my website.

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