PVMBG: 2026 Anak Krakatau Eruption Ash Distribution Wider Than 2018
The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau (GAK) in the Sunda Strait, Lampung, has produced an extensive distribution of volcanic ash. The ash spread is wider than that of the 2018 eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
This was stated by the head of the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), Rita Susilawati. Rita said the ash spread widely because the eruption lasted a very long time.
“The ash distribution this time is wider because the eruption continued for around 25 hours, producing a significant volume of ash that was carried by the wind to distant areas,” Rita said when contacted on Monday (7 September 2026).
For context, in 2018 an earthquake triggered an eruption of Anak Krakatau and a partial collapse of the volcano’s body, generating a tsunami in the Sunda Strait area on 22 December 2018. After 22 December 2018, a series of low-scale eruptions continued as a growth construction phase.
Returning to Rita’s explanation, the ash distribution from Mount Anak Krakatau is indeed wider than the 2018 eruption. One contributing factor is the dry-season wind pattern.
“However, this does not mean its scale is larger than the 2018 eruption. Although the vertical ash height in 2018 reached more than 55,000 feet after the collapse of the volcano’s body, the lateral spread is now wider due to the dry-season wind patterns at various altitude layers,” she said.
She explained that Mount Anak Krakatau’s activity is currently dominated by Strombolian eruptions, and the ash distribution is expected to start diminishing.
“At present, activity is again dominated by short and repeated Strombolian eruptions, so ash production and the extent of its distribution are expected to begin decreasing,” she said.
Eruption Nearing Its End
It was previously reported that the continuous eruption episode of Mount Anak Krakatau began on Friday (4 September) at 23.07 WIB and ended on Sunday (6 September) at 00.04 WIB. Mount Anak Krakatau is now experiencing Strombolian eruptions.
The BMKG presented data on volcanic ash distribution as of 04.00 WIB. The agency identified two clusters of ash distribution from Mount Anak Krakatau.
“Based on information from PVMBG and VAAC Darwin, as well as analysis of Himawari-9 RGB imagery on 6 September 2026 at 04.00 WIB, two clusters of volcanic ash distribution from Mount Anak Krakatau have been identified,” the BMKG wrote on its official website.
As a result of the ash distribution, a number of airports, including Soekarno-Hatta Airport, remain temporarily closed.