Ana Krakatoa (Kratatua) Reclassified As Super Volcano

I watched the last part of a History Channel Mega Disaster Saturday night and the last part of the show dealt with the Krakatoa disaster. They simulated another explosion much greater equaling that of a super volcano.

It appears that volcanologists have quietly after a great deal of research changed the status of Krakatoa from just an active volcano to a super volcano capable of a civilization destroying super eruption.

Given the recent history of Ana Krakatoa in a continuing series of eruptions we just might have something to be really concerned about. A search of the Internet shows several sites with information about Krakatoa but nothing showing it listed specifically by name as a super volcano. However, there's one listed for North Sumatra around Lake Toba which is a caldera.

Anyone with updated info is welcome to post.

Just wondering....when was the last time this volcano erupted?

reply to post by Rocketgirl

It sorta never stopped.
www.volcano.si.edu...



[edit on 2/7/2010 by Phage]

reply to post by Phage


Thank you for posting the link. Just looking at the site makes me kind of scared.

[edit on 7-2-2010 by Rocketgirl]

reply to post by Rocketgirl

Don't worry too much about what you get from the History Channel. There isn't always much history or science there.

Anak Krakatau is the island which formed in 1927 in the hole left by the eruption of Krakatau in 1883. That eruption almost completed removed the entire island and did create a massive tsunami which cause major damage. It affected worldwide climate but it did not destroy civilization. The earliest recorded eruption of Krakatau was in 1680. There are some ancient writings which indicate there was a large eruption around 416 A.D. Neither of these eruptions approached the level of the 1883 eruption.

Anak Krakatau continues to erupt and continues to grow. At some time in the future it can be expected to go through another major explosive eruption but based on its history, not for hundreds or thousands of years.

reply to post by Phage


I can't remember it was ever labeled. I just did a little search but it's VEI is I can't find reference to.

It was probably 6VEI. They usually don't come any bigger.
But it caused a summer less year !

The eruption of Lake Toba, around 70.000 years ago. Dwarft Krakatau.
It probably caused a minor ice age and was almost responsible for wiping out mankind from the face of the Earth.

The evidence exist there were only 60.000 individuals left. (give or take)

It was labeled a VEI 8
Yellowstone is believed to be even bigger then Lake Toba.

So I don't really understand they want to classify it to be a super volcano.
They upgraded the eruption of Santorini ( Greece ). Wiping out Minoan civilisation along the way.
After they studied it again. Concluding the blast had to be far more devastating they thought it did before.

It appears that they're still learning a great deal about volcanoes. I wonder if Ana Krakatoa is like Yellowstone in that it wanders with tectonic plate drift.

There's a column of magma reaching down some 400 to 700 miles into the interior of the Earth that accounts for Yellowstone's periodic eruption every 600K or so. The same situation may exist in Sumatra with the point now being at Ana Krakatoa.

Just a thought on the subject but a really strong eruption could put a real dent in agriculture.

Originally posted by Phage
It sorta never stopped.
www.volcano.si.edu...

I suppose that's a good thing for a (super)volcano... When it stops then the pressures are just gonna keep on building until sooner or later big boom (or it could go dormant, but are they ever truly dormant?)