Eruption at Anak Krakatau volcano, Indonesia
Anak Krakatau volcano erupted at 06:05 UTC on June 8, 2022, with the height of the ash column observed ± 500 m (1 640 feet) above the peak (± 657 m / 2 155 feet above sea level). The Alert Level remains at 3 and the Aviation Color Code at Orange.
The ash column is observed to be gray in color with thick intensity towards the south.
This eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 50 mm and a duration of 75 seconds.
People/visitors/tourists/climbers are advised not to approach the volcano or engage in activities within a 5 km (3.1 miles) radius of the active crater.1
The Darwin VAAC reported that on May 18 a diffuse ash plume from Anak Krakatau rose to 2.4 km (8 000 feett) a.s.l. and drifted WNW based on satellite images and weather models.
On May 19 a dense steam plume with diffuse ash rose to 2.4 km and drifted N.
Volcanic activity at Anak Krakatau intensified in April 2022, culminating with intense explosive eruptions on April 24:
Geological summary
The renowned volcano Krakatau (frequently misstated as Krakatoa) lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. The collapse of the ancestral Krakatau edifice, perhaps in 416 CE, formed a 7 km (4.3 miles) wide caldera.
Remnants of this ancestral volcano are preserved in Verlaten and Lang Islands; subsequently Rakata, Danan and Perbuwatan volcanoes were formed, coalescing to create the pre-1883 Krakatau Island. Caldera collapse during the catastrophic 1883 eruption destroyed Danan and Perbuwatan volcanoes and left only a remnant of Rakata volcano.
This eruption, the 2nd largest in Indonesia during historical time, caused more than 36 000 fatalities, most as a result of devastating tsunamis that swept the adjacent coastlines of Sumatra and Java. Pyroclastic surges traveled 40 km (25 miles) across the Sunda Strait and reached the Sumatra coast.
After a quiescence of less than a half-century, the post-collapse cone of Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) was constructed within the 1883 caldera at a point between the former cones of Danan and Perbuwatan. Anak Krakatau has been the site of frequent eruptions since 1927.2
References:
1 Anak Krakatau volcano update – PVMBG – June 8, 2022
2 Krakatau – Geological summary – GVP
Featured image credit: PVMBG
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