Tuesday Tidbits

A few quick news bits ... and thanks for the questions so far. Keep 'em coming!


Tungurahua, Ecuador erupting in 2006.

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We already know about the increased activity at Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, but officials reinforced the ban of tourists and fisherman from within 2 km of the volcano.

How big is the island of Anak Krakatau? Does this 2 km limit keep people from landing on the island? Are there buoys that boats can't pass so they don't venture into the exclusion zone? Is that 2 km from the caldera or from the base? How does one know where the base line is? At least in baseball there is a chalk line. I'm not trying to be snarky (well I'm not trying to get caught being snarky). Where would I go to find this info? Wikipedia doesn't cover these questions?

Patrick - In terms of figuring out what the 2-km exclusion zone represents, your best bet might be to look at Google Earth. I took a quick look at anything 2-km from the vent would encompass the entire island. If you look at 2-km from the island shoreline - well, it doesn't really change much because there is nothing within 2 km of the shoreline (the outer islands of what is left of the pre-1885 Krakatau are all >2.5 km away from Anak). As for how anyone would know they are too close, well, that I'm not too sure about - there might be markers (anybody want to chime in here?) but my guess is they are relying on people to check the warnings before they head out and use charts to make sure they stay far enough away. However, I'd check with the local officials if you plan to head out that way to be sure.

Thank you Dr. It sounds like a long drive from Pennsylvania.

Patrick, honestly i think that under no circumstances landing is an option. remember that active volcanoes are unpredictable, and even more if you are talking about Indonesian volcanoes...Taking some pics and videos from a touristic boat should be a good trasure to take back to Pennsylvania ;)

Cheers!!

By David Calvo (not verified) on 24 Jun 2009 #permalink

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