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Anak Krakatau Volcano - Indonesia

July 14th-15th 2008

  • Krakatau (Also known as Krakatoa) is one of the most famous volcanoes in the world. In 1883, the volcano had a catastrophic eruption that destroyed almost the entire island, spawned deadly tsunamis and was the loudest sound in recorded history. The explosion was heard as far away as Rodrigues Island, about 5000 km away.
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  • Since then, the volcano has been rebuilding itself and now Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) has emerged and has been growing above water since 1927. In November of 2007, the volcano entered a new phase of activity with frequent strombolian eruptions.
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  • I visited Krakatau and camped on neighboring Rakata Island, an ideal spot to witness the eruptions.
  • Eruption of Anak Krakatau Volcano

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    One of many large eruptions we witnessed at close range from the boat. Some of the flying rocks landed in the water.

    A closer look. Large boulders can be seen streaming through the air during the eruptions.

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    The hot rocks crash onto the slopes of the volcano and tumble downhill. The sound of these thousands of impacts is incredible.

    The ash cloud grows and billows up as lava bombs roll down.

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    The winds eventually carry away the ash cloud which then drifts back down and lands in the sea.

    Our campsite on Rakata Island, directly facing Anak Krakatau. Rakata is a remnant piece of the original Krakatoa that exploded in 1883.

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    We made it ashore onto Anak Krakatau itself and climbed up as far as we dared. We didn't risk getting any closer to the active crater and we were already running out of daylight so our time there was kept brief.

    Lightning in the ash cloud. The friction caused by millions of ash particles colliding can sometimes create a static discharge as lightning. I've been wanting for years to capture an image like this one!

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    The morning view of Anak Krakatau from Rakata Beach.

    Back on the mainland, the volcanoes activity is constantly monitored at the Krakatau observatory.

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    The seismograph is showing plenty of activity since the volcano has been erupting frequently lately.