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Anak Krakatau eruption stops: PVMBG
The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in South Lampung regency, Lampung, has stopped, but the volcano's level of activity remains high.
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A plume of ash rises from Mount Anak Krakatau on July 18, as seen from Rakata Island in South Lampung. (AFP/Ferdi Awed)
T
he eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in South Lampung regency, Lampung, has stopped, according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG).
The center arrived at that conclusion based on the latest satellite imagery and weather observations.
Seismographic data from Sertung Islands, a cluster of islands near Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, show that there were no more unusual tremors in the volcano, with the average amplitude of volcanic activity standing at 10 millimeters. During an eruption, Anak Krakatau’s average amplitude will be 25 – 30 mm.
In their statement issued on Sunday, however, the PVMBG officials made it clear that this did not rule out the possibility of the volcano in the Sunda Strait erupting anew in the near future, after the last eruption that began on Dec. 22.
In the statement, the PVMBG also thanked the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for providing visual observation data, which was collected from the Himawari satellite and weather radar, about the distribution of ash released during the Anak Krakatau eruption.
The PVMBG said such information was vital to gauging the level of Anak Krakatau’s volcanic activity, especially when the center’s observers at the Pasauran post had difficulties observing the volcano because of thick fog, for instance, which could lead to inaccuracies in reporting the height of its ash column.
Anak Krakatau’s volcanic activity is now at level 3; hence, the authorities are still calling on residents and tourists not to approach the volcano or carry out activities in a radius of 5 kilometers from its crater. (spl/ebf)
