PVMBG warns Anak Krakatau remains at high risk of further eruptions

Anak Krakatau’s continuous eruption has stopped, but Indonesia’s volcanology agency is warning that the volcano remains highly capable of erupting again.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, known as PVMBG, said the continuous seismic eruption episode began at 11:07 p.m. on Sept. 4 and officially ended at 12:04 a.m. on Sept. 6. Siti Sumilah Rita Susilawati, the agency’s head, said activity remained at Level III, or Alert.

PVMBG later recorded one Strombolian eruption at 3:53 a.m. that lasted about 30 seconds. The agency provisionally interpreted it as marking the end of the preceding continuous eruptive episode.

Visual monitoring showed a red eruption column dominating the night sky, while blackish plumes rose during the day. Instrument readings indicated that volcanic energy increased on Sept. 5 before declining the following day. The Tanjung tiltmeter station continued to show inflation dating from early August, while the Lava93 station recorded a relatively flat pattern.

PVMBG said further eruptions could send incandescent rocks into the air, produce heavy ashfall and, if continuous activity resumes, generate lava flows. It urged residents, tourists and climbers to stay at least three kilometers from the volcano’s activity center. The agency also told coastal communities in Banten and Lampung to remain calm and reject hoaxes about a tsunami. Indonesia’s meteorological agency said 20 tsunami gauges around the Sunda Strait had shown no sea-level anomaly as of 7 a.m. Sunday.

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Based on our instrumental records, the continuous eruptive earthquake episode began recording on Friday, Sept. 4, at 11:07 p.m. and officially stopped on Sunday, Sept. 6, at 12:04 a.m.