Two tiny islands have appeared in the waters around Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau following a powerful eruption last month.
The eruption disrupted air travel and left more than 300,000 passengers stranded.
The formations were spotted in satellite images of the volcano’s water-filled caldera in the Sunda Strait.
Volcano monitoring official Rita Susilawati said Sentinel imagery showed “two formations resembling small islands”.
One lies about 760 metres northwest of Anak Krakatau, while the other is roughly 495 metres southwest.
But are these islands here to stay? Not necessarily.
Susilawati said scientists need more research to determine whether the land is rising from the caldera floor, as Anak Krakatau itself did.
Or whether the formations are simply piles of volcanic material.
Volcanic Islands May Vanish
History offers a clue. Several temporary landmasses appeared around the site from 1927 but were eventually washed away by erosion.
A lasting Anak Krakatau emerged in 1930.
The volcano erupted continuously for 25 hours in September, covering nearby cities with ash and forcing several airports to close.
It remains at Indonesia’s second-lowest alert level, with people warned to stay at least three kilometres away.
For now, the new islands are little more than volcanic newcomers.
Whether they become permanent features or disappear beneath the waves remains a question only time, and the volcano, can answer.
