Series of eruptions at Anak Krakatau volcano, Indonesia
Volcanic activity at Anak Krakatau increased on August 2, 2022, with the first of several eruptions starting at 08:49 UTC. It had a maximum amplitude of 33 mm and lasted 32 seconds, ejecting ash up to 1.5 km (4 900 feet) above the peak. The Aviation Color Code remains at Orange.
The next eruption took place at 11:36 UTC. It had a maximum amplitude of 40 mm and lasted 99 seconds, according to the Anak Krakatau Volcano Observatory.1
New eruptions were recorded at 12:06 UTC (maximum amplitude 45 mm, duration 95 seconds), 15:49 UTC (maximum amplitude 54 mm, duration 66 seconds), 16:19 UTC (maximum amplitude 41 mm, duration 45 seconds), 17:34 UTC (maximum amplitude 36 mm, duration 39 seconds), and 18:15 UTC (maximum amplitude 50 mm, duration 50 seconds).
The Darwin VAAC reported discrete volcanic ash up to 2 100 m (7 000 feet) above sea levels.
The Aviation Color Code remains at Orange.
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 updates – PVMBG – August 2, 2022
2 Krakatau – Geological summary – GVP
Featured image credit: PVMBG
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