Anak Krakatau eruption grounds flights, raises specter of 1883 catastrophe

From the Sunda Strait, where geology and human ambition have long negotiated an uneasy truce, Anak Krakatau is erupting once more — sending ash skyward thick enough to close seven airports and strand 170,000 travelers across one of the world's busiest aviation corridors. The 'child' of the catastrophic 1883 Krakatau explosion, this young volcano has periodically reminded the region that the earth's deeper rhythms do not yield to modern schedules. Scientists watch carefully, measuring not only what is happening now, but what the historical memory of 1883 demands they consider.