On 10th April, 2020, Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatoa witnessed its longest eruption since 2018, spouting huge amounts of volcanic lava. The first eruption sent ashes and smoke as high as 200 meters in the sky.
Crux of the Matter
Anak Krakatau means the child of Krakatoa. Krakatoa came into existence in 1927 from the caldera that emerged from the volcanic eruptions of 1883. The eruption of 1883 is considered as one of history’s strongest volcanic eruptions. It had created a sound wave that could be heard 5000 km away from its origin. The global temperature at that time fell 1 °C because of sunlight being blocked by the ashes suspended in the atmosphere. This mega eruption took the life of 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis and cold waves.
Since 2018, for the first time, Anak Krakatoa has exploded, creating a sound wave reaching 150 km away to the capital Jakarta. The eruption took place in two phases. The first eruption spewed ashes as high as 200 meters. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) stated that the second eruption continued for 38 minutes and 4 seconds resulting in the emission of a 500 meter-high column of ashes in the sky. This ‘large magmatic eruption’ also caused a 150-meter high tsunami that hit an uninhabited island. With the eruption, the volcano lost two-thirds of its height. The government had declared level two alert and had deployed the army to evacuate the nearby town in case of an emergency.
In other news the famous Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia erupted today but it is not expected to become a major eruption such as the one that erupted in 1883 which created a tsunami that was 42m high when it hit land killing 36,000 peoplehttps://t.co/PDUSJwY95D pic.twitter.com/lyr5zg4rDa — 🌐 Orb Planet..🌊 Resister..🌡ClimateAction (@OrbPlanet) April 11, 2020
It is fortunate that this time volcanic eruption is not as deadly as it was in 2018 that killed 430 people in tsunamis followed by the eruption. The volcano continued to erupt till Saturday morning. While the world deals with Coronavirus pandemic – a reincarnation of SARS, recently there have been reports of radioactive wildfires at Chernobyl and now eruption of Krakatoa. 2020 has seen an onslaught of natural tragedies and blasts from the past.
Curiopedia
As per a 2012 survey, there are a total of 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia and around 5 million people live within the danger zone.
The 1883 explosion served as an inspiration for the world famous painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch.
After the eruptions on Friday, three more volcanoes in Indonesia with different magma chambers have shown elevated activity. These volcanoes are – Mount Kerinci in West Sumatra, Mount Semeru in East Java and Mount Merapi in Central Java.
Curated Coverage
Comments