There is no clear winner, but the eruption of the Krakatoa volcanoes in 1889 or the underwater eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai in 2022 are among the strongest candidates.
From stadium concerts to fireworks, extreme noise can easily reach levels that cause permanent hearing loss. But when it comes to the loudest sound ever made on Earth, scientists say the answer depends on how “sound” is defined and whether historical accounts or modern instruments are used.
For more than a century, the Krakatoa volcano eruptionin Indonesia in 1883, was considered the loudest noise in recorded history. The explosion was heard more than 3000 km away, and barometers around the world recorded its pressure wave. Estimates suggest it reached around 170 decibels 100 miles away and ruptured eardrums 64 km from the source. Modern calculations propose that the explosion may have reached an impressive 310 decibels, far beyond the levels that human ears can handle.
For context, normal human tolerance peaks at around 140 decibels, which volume of a jet engine within walking distance. Exposure to 100 decibels for just 14 minutes can cause hearing damage, while common household appliances, such as vacuum cleaners, emit sounds close to 75 decibels.
At around 194 decibels, sound waves turn into shock waves and travel faster than sound itself. Krakatoa’s shock wave was strong enough to go around the planet seven times. However, scientists warn that there is no precise measurement, as no one was close enough to record the eruption directly, says .
Another contender for the noisiest event is Tunguska meteor explosionin Siberia, in 1908, which devastated thousands of trees over a vast area. Its estimated volume — 300 to 315 decibels — rivals that of Krakatoa, although it has also only been measured indirectly, at great distances.
When focusing only on the modern era, however, experts agree that a more recent event stands out above all others: the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanoin January 2022. According to researchers, the underwater explosion produced a pressure wave that circled the globe several times and was heard thousands of kilometers away, including in Alaska and Central Europe.
An infrasound station just 68 km from the eruption recorded a pressure increase of 1800 pascals, much higher than expected for even the largest man-made explosions. Attempts to convert this value to decibels resulted at around 256 decibelsbut scientists warn that this number is misleading, since the eruption produced a massive atmospheric pressure pulse around a traditional sound wave.
In laboratories, humans have already generated even stronger pressure waves, including a 270 decibel shock produced by bombarding water with an X-ray laser. But, as the experiment took place in a vacuum, it did not produce any audible sound.
When limited to real atmospheric events measured with modern technology, scientists say the conclusion is clear: “Tonga 2022 is the winner.”
