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Report on Krakatau (Indonesia) — 19 October-25 October 2022


Krakatau

Smithsonian / US Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report,
19 October-25 October 2022
Managing Editor: Sally Kuhn Sennert

Please cite this report as:

Global Volcanism Program, 2022. Report on Krakatau (Indonesia). In: Sennert, S K (ed.), Weekly Volcanic Activity Report, 19 October-25 October 2022. Smithsonian Institution and US Geological Survey.

Weekly Report (19 October-25 October 2022)

Krakatau

Indonesia

6.102°S, 105.423°E; summit elev. 155 m

All times are local (unless otherwise noted)


PVMBG reported that multiple ash plumes were visible rising from Anak Krakatau during 24-25 October. Webcam views showed that at 1757 on 24 October a dense black ash plume rose about 150 m above the summit, and at 2111 a dense gray-to-black ash plume rose 150 m and drifted E. Dense gray-to-black ash plumes were visible on 25 October at 0727, 0956, and 1711 rising 150-200 m above the summit and drifting NE. An eruptive event was recorded at 1845 by the seismic network; a webcam photo showed incandescent material being ejected above the crater rim. The Alert Level remained at 3 (on a scale of 1-4), and the public was warned to stay at least 5 km away from the crater.

Geological Summary. The renowned volcano Krakatau (frequently misstated as Krakatoa) lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Collapse of the ancestral edifice, perhaps in 416 or 535 CE, formed a 7-km-wide caldera. Remnants of that 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, and left only a remnant of Rakata. This eruption caused more than 36,000 fatalities, most as a result of tsunamis that swept the adjacent coastlines of Sumatra and Java. Pyroclastic surges traveled 40 km 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.

Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG, also known as CVGHM)