A closer look
Volcanic ash is cute, but Krakatoa's 1883 detonation threw out so much pulverized rock that it literally paved the ocean. Miles of floating pumice rafts—some up to ten feet thick—clogged the Sunda Strait, trapping trading vessels for months. Sailors reported essentially walking on the sea, dodging dead trees and tiger carcasses, turning what used to be a lucrative spice route into the world's most cursed maritime parking lot.






