Mount Anak Krakatau Spews Incandescent Lava in Recent Eruption
The volcanic activity of Mount Anak Krakatau has picked up since June.
Mount Anak Krakatau erupted on the night of Saturday, August 22, 2026, releasing incandescent lava 200 meters above the peak, marking a shift from recent ash emissions. According to Heruningtyas Desi Purnamasari, head of the Volcano Working Team at the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), the eruption is classified as strombolian, characterized by weak explosive activity that involves incandescent lava, volcanic gas, and pyroclastic material.
Anak Krakatau, an active type A volcano situated in the Sunda Strait and part of South Lampung Regency, Lampung Province, has experienced heightened volcanic activity since early June. Signs of this increased activity include the release of sulfur dioxide gas, heat anomalies, hotspots around the crater, and a surge in shallow earthquakes, especially tremors, hybrid/many phases, and low-frequency tremors.
Monitoring data reveals that the volcano's activity remains relatively high and fluctuating, with seismicity dominated by 106 hybrid earthquakes, 75 harmonic earthquakes, 39 continuous tremors, 28 low-frequency earthquakes, and 23 emission earthquakes, along with two eruption earthquakes. Visually, the eruption activity is frequently observed, with thick smoke emanating from the crater, indicating ongoing intense release of volcanic gas from the active crater.
On Saturday, at 03:13 p.m. local time, Anak Krakatau experienced another eruption, with an ash column reaching approximately 400 meters above the summit or 557 meters above sea level, appearing gray to black in color with thick intensity and leaning southwest. This suggests that the volcanic system of Anak Krakatau remains active, with a high likelihood of further eruptions.
The volcano's alert level is currently set at III, prompting advisories for residents and tourists to avoid activities within a 3-kilometer radius of the active crater.
Coastal communities in Banten and Lampung are urged to disregard unconfirmed rumors about Anak Krakatau eruptions that could potentially trigger a tsunami. They are advised to continue their regular activities while adhering to instructions from local disaster management agencies.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
