Something is Happening in the Ring of Fire

Image via Wikipedia

Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa) - Ready to blow?

It's been quite a week for the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Mount Merapi blew its top, taking the lives of dozens, including Mbah Maridjan, Merapi's sacred gatekeeper (or 'kuncen'), who "died instantly in a 1,000-degree Celsius pyroclastic flow, a fast-moving wall of superheated gas and ash." There have been several powerful eruptions since then, with the latest occurring today. Mount Merapi holds special significance for the Javanese, who view it as part of a spiritual axis of the world.

On the same day that Merapi started erupting, there was a magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Sumatra that sent a tsunami crashing into the Mentawai islands. The latest death toll stands at 449 and is certain to rise.

And now Krakatoa is rumbling to life (video here). Or more accurately, Anak Krakatau (meaning literally 'child of Krakatoa'), the volcano which arose from the ashes after the original volcano blew itself to smithereens in 1883 in the loudest explosion in modern history.

Image via Wikipedia

On top of all that, there are several more volcanoes in Indonesia (here and here) which are on heightened alert status or have shown increased activity in the last several weeks.

What can we expect next? Will Krakatau go super-volcano like it did in the past — or will a different mountain take that distinction? Are more earthquakes around the corner? Can all of this be explained as just normal plate tectonics? Or is it symptomatic of something larger at play? In the words of geologist Brent McInnes:

"We can say this is quite extraordinary ... if it's true that there are over 20 volcanos demonstrating increased levels of seismic activity, then that is something we should pay attention to ... maybe there is a major plate restructuring going on, and that would be significant."

What's your explanation for all the recent activity in the Ring of Fire? Any predictions? Post a comment and let us know your thoughts.