[Rockhounds] Krakatoa Is Still Active, and We Are Not Ready for the Tsunamis Another Eruption Would Generate

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

The August 1883 eruption of Krakatoa was one of the deadliest volcanic
explosions in modern history. The volcano, found in the middle of the Sunda
Strait in between two of Indonesia’s largest islands, was on a small island
which disappeared almost overnight. The eruption was so loud it could be
heard in Reunion, some 3,000 miles away.

As the volcano collapsed into the sea, it generated a tsunami 37m high –
tall enough to submerge a six-story building. And as the wave raced along
the shoreline of the Sunda Strait, it destroyed 300 towns and villages, and
killed more than 36,000 people.

Nearly 45 years later, in 1927, a series of sporadic underwater eruptions
meant part of the original volcano once again emerged above the sea,
forming a new island named Anak Krakatoa, which means “Child of Krakatoa”.
In December 2018, during another small eruption, one of Anak Krakatoa’s
flanks collapsed <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-46669280> into the
ocean and the region’s shorelines were once again hit by a major tsunami.
This time, 437 were left dead, nearly 32,000 were injured and more than
16,000 people were displaced.

Even though Anak Krakatoa had been active since June that year, local
residents received no warning that a huge wave was about to hit. This is
because Indonesia’s early warning system
<https://theconversation.com/indonesia-tsunami-why-wasnt-there-an-earlier-warning-104265>
is
based on ocean buoys that detect tsunamis induced by submarine earthquakes,
such as those that struck on Boxing Day in 2004, in one of the most deadly
natural disasters of all time.

But tsunamis caused by volcanic eruptions are rather different and, as they
aren’t very common, scientists still don’t fully understand them. And
Indonesia has no advanced early warning system
<https://www.preventionweb.net/news/view/62789> in place for
volcano-generated tsunamis.

At some point in the future, Anak Krakatoa will erupt again, generating
more tsunamis. Since it is difficult to predict exactly which areas of the
Sunda Strait will be affected, it is of paramount importance that residents
in coastal villages are well aware of the danger.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/krakatoa-is-still-active-and-we-are-not-ready-for-the-tsunamis-another