Anak Krakatau (Child Of Krakatoa) Erupts

By Mark Dunphy - Tue Oct 04, 1:41 pm

Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, erupted on Tuesday sending columns of ash and rock hurtling high into the air.

The rise in volcanic and earthquake activity prompted authorities to put in place a 2km exclusion zone for tourists and local fishermen.

The Indonesian Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Centre reported that an estimated 6,000-7,000 volcanic earthquakes were recorded daily during the weekend and on Monday. Daily earthquake totals usually do not exceed 100-200.

Seismologists are still attempting to determine the type and scale of the ongoing eruption.

The eruption at Anak Krakatau (which is Indonesian for “Child of Krakatoa”), is the biggest since January 2011 when ash was emitted more than 600 m into the air, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The volcano also erupted on 29th October 2010 leading Indonesian authorities to issue a level 2 alert.

The island exploded in 1883, killing approximately 40,000 people, although some estimates put the death toll much higher. The explosion is considered to be the loudest sound ever heard in modern history, with reports of it being heard nearly 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from its point of origin. The shock wave from the explosion was recorded on barographs around the globe.

On July 31, 2011, a wispy ash plume rose above the volcano and drifted west (up in the below image). The natural-colour satellite image was acquired by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) aboard Earth Observing-1 (EO-1). Dark gray areas of Anak Krakatau are composed principally of lava flows deposited in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. These flows are topped by a young cinder cone near the center of the island. Green vegetation covers older lavas along the eastern coastline. Image NASA. Instrument: EO-1 – ALI

Krakatau location. Image ChrisO