August 15, 2011

Geology Word of the Week: K is for Krakatau

Posted by Evelyn Mervine

Anak-Krakatoa 1. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

Anak-Krakatau 1. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

def. Krakatau (aka Krakatoa):
A volcanic island between the islands of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia. The volcanic island is known for a major eruption in 1883 that largely destroyed the original island. Since the 1920s, the volcanic island has been rebuilding and is today known as Anak Krakatau or “Son of Krakatau.”

I’m flying to Johannesburg, South Africa tomorrow and have had a long couple of weeks preparing for the move, including a 10 hour drive today. So, for this week’s geology word of the week I’ll just share a few links and some photographs. Enjoy!

After I recover from my travels, I’ll share the story of when I was at sea for 50 days (no sight of land!) and  then the very first land I saw at the end of the research cruise was Anak-Krakatau. Seeing Anak-Krakatau was wonderful, but seeing the volcano from a ship at dawn after not seeing land for 50 days was amazing, magical almost.

Some Links:
Popular book by Simon Winchester: Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27th, 1883

Book: The eruption of Krakatoa, and subsequent phenomena (1888). Thanks to David Bressan for the link

Many links on the Eruptions blog: Krakatoa Tag on Eruptions

Some Pictures, Courtesy of James Reynolds:

Anak-Krakatau 2. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

Anak-Krakatau 2. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

Anak-Krakatau 3. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

Anak-Krakatau 1.

Anak-Krakatau 3. Photo courtesy of James Reynolds.

 

A Video, Also Courtesy of James Reynolds: