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Indonesia’s PVMBG Confirms Two New Islets Near Anak Krakatau
Indonesia’s Geological Agency (PVMBG) confirms in early October 2026 that two new island-like landforms emerge in waters around Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait. Preliminary assessment links the emergence to magma extrusion and rapid accumulation of volcanic material above the water surface.
Two New Islets near Mount Anak Krakatau:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Spatial location | The new landforms comprise 2 offshore islets: 1 forms about 760 meters off the northwest coast of Anak Krakatau, and 1 forms about 495 meters off the southeast coast. |
| Eruption dynamics | Preliminary analysis comprises low-viscosity, fluid magma extruding from an elongated northwest–southeast seafloor fissure. |
| Material forming the islets | The emergence comprises rapid accumulation of erupted volcanic debris, tephra, and lava mounds that breach the water surface to form 2 distinct islets. |
| Morphological volatility | Geologists note the new landmasses comprise high vulnerability to ocean wave erosion, marine currents, and future flank collapses, making long-term permanence uncertain. |
| Geographical setting | The Sunda Strait setting comprises location between Java and Sumatra. |
| Tectonic setting | The setting comprises a volatile subduction zone where the Indo-Australian Plate subducts beneath the Sunda/Eurasian Plate. |
| 1883 Krakatoa event | The 1883 eruption comprises collapse of the original Krakatoa volcano into a submerged caldera, triggering tsunamis and global climate cooling. |
| 1927-1930 emergence | Submarine eruptions in 1927-1930 comprise the birth of Anak Krakatau (“Child of Krakatoa”), which establishes permanent dry land by 1930. |
| 2018 flank collapse | A massive underwater lateral collapse in 2018 comprises triggering a deadly Sunda Strait tsunami and reducing the island’s height from about 338 meters to about 110 meters. |