The Indonesian Anak Krakatau volcano (in English, son of the Krakatoa), the same that in 2018 caused 439 deaths by causing a tsunami, expelled clouds of ash and smoke more than 500 meters high and magma from its slope after erupting, as reported this Saturday by local authorities.
Indonesia’s volcanology service noted in a report that the volcano, one of the most active in the country, erupted last night twice and for a total of nearly 40 minutes.
Fortunately, and despite the magnitude of the explosion, they assure that it would not provoke a volcanic reaction on the island; This was explained by the volcanologist, Devy Kamil: “The Anak Krakatau eruption will not trigger another volcanic eruption.”
Volcano Discovery wrote of this event:
“This appears to be the strongest eruptive phase since violent phreatomagmatic activity after the partial collapse of the volcano on December 22, 2018, which triggered a deadly tsunami that killed hundreds of people on the west coast of Java.”.
Devy Kamil Syahbana, another volcanologist, considered volcanic activity “normal.” “When eruptions occur in some volcanoes in Indonesia, that is normal and in the country, there is a volcanic eruption every day,” he said.
Krakatoa’s son
Discovered in 1927, the Anak Krakatau emerged from the waters more than half a century after the great eruption of the legendary Krakatoa, whose cauldron was destroyed in 1883 after a series of massive explosions that cost the lives of more than 36,000 people and whose effects were felt. around the world for weeks.
On August 26, 1883, after months of frenzied volcanic activity, the Krakatoa suffered four huge explosions (each accompanied by huge tsunamis) that caused the collapse of half the island.
According to historical records, the explosions were so violent that they were heard 5,000 kilometers away and the ash reached 80 kilometers high.
Other data assures that the eruptions were similar to a 200 megaton bomb, which is equivalent to 13,000 times the nuclear bomb launched against the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II.
A year after the outbreak of Krakatoa, world temperatures dropped just over a degree. It is also estimated that the giant waves of 1883 destroyed almost 300 towns and killed 36,417 people.
After decades of underwater volcanic eruptions, the Anak Krakatau emerged in the same place in 1927, which in 2018 caused a tsunami in the strait between the islands of Sumatra and Java with a provisional balance of 222 dead, 28 missing and 843 wounded.
Some geologists believe that one day the Anak Krakatau will burst with the same force as its predecessor.
