Krakatau Volcano
Updated: Dec 11, 2024 05:15 GMT -
Caldera 813 m (2,667 ft.) / Anak Krakatau: 189 m
Sunda Strait, Indonesia, -6.1°S / 105.42°E
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Sunda Strait, Indonesia, -6.1°S / 105.42°E
Current status: erupting (4 out of 5)
Last update: 24 Apr 2024 (Smithsonian / USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Report)
Violent eruption of Krakatau showering the summit cone with incandescent bombs.
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.
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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-Oct 2011, Jan-May + Sep 2012, 2015(?), 2017, 2018 (22 Dec eruption & tsunami), 2019-ongoing
Latest nearby earthquakes
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.---
Source: GVP, Smithsonian Institution
Krakatau Volcano Photos
Zoom onto the expanding ejected plug of the explosion; only few of the blocks are actually glowing red. At night, this means that most blocks won't be visible! (Photo: To...
Sea reflection of activity from Anak Krakatau volcano (Sunda Strait, Indonesia) on December 2nd, 2018. (Photo: V. Tricou)
A barrage of bombs hits the water, some quite far from the shore. (Photo: Iris Karinkanta)
Lightning in the eruption ash column of an explosion of Anak Krakatau (Nov 2010) (Photo: Tom Pfeiffer)
Latest satellite images
Krakatau Volcano Tours
Java (Indonesia)
From Krakatau to Bali
16-day study and photo tour to Java, Indonesia
16 days / 15 nights - Easy to Moderate
Price 3180 €
Price 3180 €
Custom and group dates
12-28 May 2025
9-24 Jun 2025
7-22 Jul 2025
West Java (Indonesia)
Krakatau Volcano Special
expedition to study & observe Anak Krakatau volcano and its activity
3 -7 days - Easy
Price 1340 €
Price 1340 €
Custom and group dates
Flores, Indonesia
Indonesia Volcano Special
Volcano expedition to Lewotobi and Ile Lewotolok volcanoes in Feb 2024
7 days (10 days with extension) - Moderate
Price 1750 EUR (7d) / 2480 EUR (10d)
Price 1750 EUR (7d) / 2480 EUR (10d)
no scheduled dates at present
Krakatau Volcano Maps
Below is a selection of maps showing the location and surroundings of the volcano at various resolutions based on aerial-imagery / terrain maps. Feel free to use them for non-commercial purposes on your blog or website as long as you credit them with a link back to this page (click to copy it).
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (world scale)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (world scale)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale large)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale large)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale medium)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale medium)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale small)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (region scale small)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale large)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale large)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale medium)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale medium)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale small)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (local scale small)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of 10s of km)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of 10s of km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of 20-40 km)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of 20-40 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of approx. 10-20 km)
Terrain-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of approx. 10-20 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of 5-10 km)
Satellite/aerial-type map of Krakatau volcano (scale of few kilometers)
