Anak Krakatoa ash spreads across Jakarta, Java and Sumatra

Volcanic ash from Anak Krakatoa spread across Jakarta, western Java and parts of Sumatra on Sunday as the volcano continued erupting in the Sunda Strait.

Information from MAGMA Indonesia said the activity had continued since Friday morning. Seismographs recorded eruptions at 5:53 and 7:10 a.m. Western Indonesian Time. The second event had a maximum amplitude of 50 millimeters and lasted 16 seconds, although it was not visibly observed.

Satellite imagery from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology showed a thick smoke column moving westward. The agency said mainland Australia was safe from the ash, but flights to or through Indonesia were affected.

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If an eruption can be visually observed via satellite, it indicates a very significant and dense eruption volume.

Erma Yulihastin, a researcher at Indonesia's BRIN Climate and Atmosphere Research Center, said satellite observations from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2B showed that the eruption had formed a pyrocumulus cloud spreading horizontally to the west. She said simulations estimated a column 13 to 14 kilometers high, reaching the tropopause.

Yulihastin warned that strong sea breezes and low-pressure conditions in Banten could push the cloud toward Serang and surrounding areas. The Geological Agency has said continuous eruptions accompanied by lava fountains lasting several hours are common occurrences.

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The volcano spewed thick smoke into the atmosphere. On satellite imagery, the smoke column moving westward could be clearly seen.