Krakatoa volcano

[kingwilly]

Krakatoa Volcano, probably the most famous volcano in modern history, it exploded in 1883, the resulting sound and waves observed in countries halfway around the globe, allegedly disrupting the earths climate for several years. It is now a World Heritage Site, and thus worth a visit if you are in Indonesia.

wikipedia tells me this ...

With a Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of 6, the eruption was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT—about 13,000 times the yield of the Little Boy bomb (13 to 16 KT) that devastated Hiroshima, Japan during World War II and four times the yield of the Tsar Bomba (50 MT), the largest nuclear device ever detonated.

The series of islands above are the remnants of the Krakatoa that exploded in 1883, the grey smudge in the centre is Anak Kratatoa, (son of Krakatoa), like a phoenix rising from the ashes is growing anew, reportedly at a rate of 5 metres per year. The islands are the edges of the caldera, measuring about 7kms across.

We left from Kalianda, but you can also do the same sort of trips from Anyer, Cerita, or Tanjung Lasung, since Krakatoa is in the middle of the choppy Sunda Straits separating Sumatra from Java.

Of course, it aint cheap or easy. Your looking at 3.5 million rups ($350) for a boat for a day plus lunch, entry fee and guide, a speed boat will seat 4 people and take 2 hours each way or an older wooden fishing boat will seat up to 10 people and take 4 hours each way.

Our first sight of the Volcano, in fact, it is actually, Anak Krakatoa, (son of Krakatoa) was impressive, a belching, smokey grey smudge on the horizon. You can see the other islands, that are part of the caldera.

[kingwilly]

The volcano, erupted silently, billowing clouds about every 5 minutes or so.

[The Fresh Prince]

Cool

[Andrew Hicks]

Originally Posted by The Fresh Prince

Cool

Hot!

Actually I thought Kingwilly was an angry volcano!

Thanks for this... a great post and pics.

I love Indo and my favourite trip was on a small wooden boat from Lombok down to Komodo where dragons dwell.

If it isn't provocative to mention books, I'd recommend one on Krakatoa by Simon Winchester, a very British journalist who I met once in Singapore when he was covering a financial downturn in the eighties.

A great read with insights into life at the time and the impact of the explosion on the world.

Andrew

[Rural Surin]

Nice Willy. That historic explosion is well worth the investigations into the related climate chages of the time that came about because of Krakatau. Some of us are waiting in angst for your Sumatra photo spectacular

[nightowl2548]

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Nice Willy. That historic explosion is well worth the investigations into the related climate chages of the time that came about because of Krakatau. Some of us are waiting in angst for your Sumatra photo spectacular

The bitter cold summers resulted from the even more powerful Tambora volcano on Sumbawa about 400 miles east of Surabaya that exploded around 1816 if I recall correctly. That blast left an unbelieveable crater in the top of Tambora that you can see on satellite images, 100% destruction on the northern part of the island. The most powerful blast since Thera destroyed the Greek Island of Santorini 4000 years ago. Pinatubo 1991 and Vesuvius 79AD were also quite powerful. Krakatoa seems to have catostrophic eruptions every 1300 years or so, right now it is still rebuilding and will mostly have minor to moderate erruptions, eventually it will plug up and fall silent for hundreds of years and the pressure will build up until it has a catostrophic blast like in 1883. Right now there is a volcano near Anchorage Alaska errupting that is altering transpacific flight routes that use the great circle over Alaska.

[good2bhappy]

looks worryingly active

[Rural Surin]

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

looks worryingly active

OH! It fokking is G2BH....the 'experts' are suggesting that it is due for a similiar event as the one in 1883. Indonesia {especially Java} is a series of volcanoes looking for a place to erupt. There are more active areas than any where worldwide.

[DrivingForce]

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

OH! It fokking is G2BH....the 'experts' are suggesting that it is due for a similiar event as the one in 1883. Indonesia {especially Java} is a series of volcanoes looking for a place to erupt. There are more active areas than any where worldwide.

mother natures counter to global warming..but will it be too late?

[kingwilly]

The west side of the island is slightly more sheltered, and has a variety of plant and animal life, growing on soft, black sand. Albeit punctuated with the odd hardened lava flow.





We ate some lunch and set of on a hike up the mountain side. Through the trees which thin out quickly and then onto baking hot scoria and black ash. The views back down were nice though.

[kingwilly]

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

looks worryingly active

funny you should mention that, this recent activity started in 1994 and according to Reuters Indonesia's Krakatau roars, dazzles with fireworks | World | Reuters

A vulcanologist monitoring Anak Krakatau said the volcano was likely to rumble and roar for some time.
"It is still at the third level of alert. It is safe and there aren't any problems. There were approximately one hundred explosions yesterday," Saut Simatupang, head of volcano observation in Bandung, told Reuters.

However, the rangers, told us that someone died last October, walking too close to an explosion.

[Loy Toy]

Wondered where you were for a few days mate!

I can remember asking you about Krakatoa a few weeks ago on another thread and as these natural phenomena interests me I thank you for your efforts.

Was there are strong smell of sulphur and what are the chances of another eruption?

[kingwilly]

Anyway, we continued walking up the hillside, baking black scoria, verdant oceans, blue blue skies, all the while Anak Krakatoa belching ominously in the background. Strangely enough, these cloud belches did not make any sound.

We got to about 100 feet shy of a ridge top, close to the mouth, and suddenly with a strange whooshing sound, it sent up a burst of fist/head sized rocks with the gasses and ash, we watched the rocks like slow motion, rise up and begin coming down towards us, I started thinking about needed to dodge this flying debris, MrsKW was just frozen in shock.



Fortunately, much like my fielding skills, I had misjudged the distance these rocks had traveled and we were never in danger of them reaching us, that time. Our ranger/guide was not quite so blase about it, nor MrsKW, with some urging I suggested it would be a shame to climb so far, and not make it 100 feet more.

OK, you have about 10 minutes here and then that is it!

It was worth it, another shower of rocks or two, and then we began the trip back down.

[kingwilly]

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Was there are strong smell of sulphur and what are the chances of another eruption?

not much smell at all.

As we were walking back down, I heard an almighty boom, much like a thunder clap, unfortunately (I thought) we were in the trees, and could not see how much rock or ash had been thrown up this time. But it did cause much excitement, we heard another just before we left as well. I just loved the feeling of being so close to raw power.

this is the volcano saying goodbye to us as we left.



As to the chances of another explosion, who knows really? even the vulcanologists will admit they dont really understand when and why they happen. Apparently some scientists are suggesting that we stay at least 3 kms away from the volcano

[kingwilly]

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

Wondered where you were for a few days mate!

Originally Posted by Rural Surin

Some of us are waiting in angst for your Sumatra photo spectacular

yup, been in Sumatra again, another thread for that, plus a Sumatran wedding. (not mine)., when I have time.

[good2bhappy]

a life experience to tell the grandchildren

[Attilla the Hen]

An interesting factoid from Wiki:-

The most literal meaning of blue moon is when the moon (not necessarily a full moon) appears to a casual observer to be unusually bluish, which is a rare event. The effect can be caused by smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, as has happened after forest fires in Sweden and Canada in 1950 and, notably, after the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883, which caused the moon to appear blue for nearly two years.

[Jet Gorgon]

Did you get a pic looking down into the volcano?
Just joshin....nice pics. Hope you collected a lava rock. I love rock picking.

[daveboy]

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

I love rock picking.

....

[kingwilly]

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

Did you get a pic looking down into the volcano?

I wanted to.....

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

Hope you collected a lava rock. I love rock picking.

yup.

have some videos to upload to youtube later on as well, I couldnt quite catch the rocks being thrown out since that was a slightly more rare event, but plenty of billowing clouds....