Forty year after the main explosion, in 1927, volcanic activity was seen in the sea

covering the old caldera, between the sites of the two northernmost former volcanoes of
Krakatau, where the greatest activity had occurred at the time of the cataclysm. A series
of eruption 185 m below the surface of the sea resulted in the emergence of three new
islands, one after the other. They were all son destroyed by surf. A fourth emerged from
the sea on August 12th 1930. It remained above water, and was aptly named Anak
Krakatau ( child of Krakatau ). This young and active volcano has been growing around
6 feet a year and still continues doing so. It grew by the accumulation of ash, and
suffered a devastating eruption in 1952, and other very destructive one in 1971. It is now
300 m high and 5 Km in diameter, and is still active spurting fire and cinder, this like
moonlike landscape. It is lonely volcanic island in the middle of the sea. The northeast
coast, north foreland and east foreland are now vegetated; the succession of vegetation is
still at an early stage, Casuarinas equisetifolia (cemara) being the dominant tree.

Panjang, formally called Land island, and some times known as Rakata Kecil, was never
part of Krakatau, but was once a part of Krakatau’s huge predecessor “ Ancient
Krakatau” Like Rakata and Sertung, it was covered in tens of meters of hot ash in
August 1883, and this has been eroded over the past century into v-shaped gulley’s
separated by sharp ridges. Like the other two islands, it is now covered in forest. Some
of the valleys are now “hanging”, because the ash cliff has been cut back by the action
of the sea so that the valley floor now opens at a considerable height above the shore. To
your right, on the south western point at Panjang, the lava rock of “ancient Krakatau”
can be seen near the base of a small cliff.
Now, to your left as you round its northern point, Rakata’s huge vertical cliff towers
above you again, towards its base, the layers of ancient Krakatau’s lava rocks may be
seen, with ash layers between them, evidence of successive eruptions centuries ago,
Casurainas (cemara) cling to the cliff, they cannot tolerate shade, and on most other
parts of the island they have been overgrown and thus eliminated by other forest trees.
Landslides are frequent on this cliff face is not the former vent of the volcano, but a
landslide channel from close to the summit. Piles of rubble, the result of landslides, can
be seen at the base of the cliff. At the far end of the cliff are the black rock of Zwarte
Hoek.

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