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Latest news from Krakatau:
Krakatau (Anak Krakatau) volcano (Sunda Strait, Indonesia) activity update: No or only minor activity
Thursday, Feb 02, 2012
Alert level was lowered from 3 to 2.
Saturday, Oct 15, 2011
Our reporter Doni / VolcanoDiscovery Indonesia spoke with the Krakatau volcano observatory of Anak Krakatau in Pasauran near Anyer, West-Java, and was... [more]
Krakatau erupting on May 27, 1883. From Symons, G., 1888, The Eruption of Krakatau and Subsequent phenomena: Reports of the Krakatau Committee of the Royal Society, Trubner, London.
Krakatau erupting on May 27, 1883. From Symons, G., 1888, The Eruption of Krakatau and Subsequent phenomena: Reports of the Krakatau Committee of the Royal Society, Trubner, London.

Krakatau (Anak Krakatau) volcano

caldera 813 m (2,667 ft.) / Anak Krakatau: 189 m
Sunda Strait (Indonesia), -6.1°S / 105.42°E
Current status: restless (2 out of 5)
last update: 2 Feb 2012 (No or only minor activity)
Typical eruption style: Explosive. Construction of a cinder cone  island (Anak Krakatau) inside the caldera formed by the 1883 eruption. Frequent strombolian activity.
Violent eruption of Krakatau showering the summit cone with incandescent bombs.Krakatau (Anak Krakatau) volcano eruptions: 1530, 1680-81, 1684, 1883 (Plinian eruption), 1927-30, 1931-32, 1932-34, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938-40, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1946-47, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1958-59, 1959-63, 1965(?), 1969(?), 1972-73, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1988, 1992-93, 1994-95, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2007-8, April 2009-early 2010, Oct 2010 - March 2011, July 2011 - ongoing
Krakatau, a small island group in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Sumatra and Java is one of the world's most famous volcanoes. It is a mostly submerged caldera with 3 outer islands belonging to the rim and a new cone, Anak Krakatau, that has been forming a new island since 1927 and remains highly active.
Krakatau exploded spectacularly in a devastating Plinian eruption 1883 that killed more than 30,000 people (mostly by the huge tsunamis triggered by the eruption). The eruption was one of the first global news events after telegraph lines had connected the different continents.

Background:

The renowned volcano Krakatau (or Krakatoa) lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Collapse of the ancestral Krakatau edifice, perhaps in 416 AD, formed a 7-km-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 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.
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Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution



NASA satellite image of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia
NASA satellite image of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia
NASA satellite image of the island group of Krakatau.
NASA satellite image of the island group of Krakatau.
Close-up of Anak Krakatau volcanic island, with its recent lava flows well visible.
Close-up of Anak Krakatau volcanic island, with its recent lava flows well visible.

Krakatoa - the world's most infamous volcano

The island group of Krakatoa (or Krakatau) lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.  Krakatoa is infamous for its violent Plinian eruption in 1883, that destroyed the previous volcanic edifice and enlarged its caldera.
Collapse of the former volcanic edifice, perhaps in 416 AD, had formed a 7-km-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 Krakatoa 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 (the most violent being the eruption of Tambora in 1815), 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 across the Sunda Strait and reached the Sumatra coast.  After a quiescence of less than a half century, the post-collapse cone of Anak Krakatoa ("Child of Krakatoa") 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.


(adapted from GVP)


Krakatau volcano, Sunda Strait: Krakatau Volcano Special
(expedition to study & observe Anak Krakatau volcano and its activity)
Expedition to active Anak Krakatau volcano
5-8 days - Easy
from 950 EUR
Custom and scheduled dates
no scheduled dates at present
Yesterday (3 Oct 2011), Anak Krakatau erupted again.
For this reason, we again offer you the chance to see this spectacular volcano on expeditions that can be arranged for small groups or individuals at any time on request. If activity continues a small-group expedition is planned for late Oct - early Nov.
During this physically EASY expedition, you will have 3-5 full days and nights on and around Krakatau volcano. If it is active, watching Krakatau's fireworks is spectacular and we can go to various viewpoints on Anak Krakatau and neighboring islands as well from a chartered boat at our disposal. All this in a fantastic exotic setting combined with the luxury of pleasant baths, beaches, fresh seafood and excellent organisation from our experienced local crew.If you feel like joining us on our next adventure to this fantastic volcano, have a look! ...more info