Anak Krakatau Rumbles Again
Anak Krakatau, a small volcano between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, erupts regularly. Its activity is often relatively mild, but it occasionally produces more hazardous displays. In early September 2026, an eruption lasting more than 24 hours sent gas and ash high into the atmosphere, disrupted thousands of flights, and degraded air quality in parts of Indonesia, including Jakarta.
Satellites passing over the area on September 5 captured the explosive activity. A Landsat 8 OLI image showed a white plume of volcanic gas billowing over a brown ash cloud, while a wider Suomi NPP VIIRS view showed volcanic material dispersing over a large area.
Indonesia’s meteorological agency reported that by September 6 ash had reached altitudes up to 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) east of the volcano and 15,000 meters (50,000 feet) west. Ash in the atmosphere prompted the temporary closure of eight airports on Java and Sumatra, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights, according to news reports. Ashfall affected populated areas, particularly east of Anak Krakatau in Jakarta and other parts of West Java, the Indonesian Humanitarian Coordination Platform reported. Volcanic ash poses health risks by irritating the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin, and the IHCP noted that this hazard differs from peatland fire smoke in particle characteristics, dispersal patterns, and protection measures.
On September 6, the continuous explosive eruption subsided, though the volcano kept rumbling and returned to a more typical pattern of Strombolian eruptions with intermittent spurts of ash and volcanic material. Airports had resumed operation by September 8, but the volcano remained at the second-highest alert level on Indonesia’s scale, as it has been since early July. The NASA Earth Observatory images were produced by Michala Garrison using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership; the story was by Lindsey Doermann.