Krakatau is a major caldera volcano, that lies in the sea to the west of Java, Indonesia. It is one of the many active volcanoes of the Sunda Arc, which is forming as a result of the subduction of the Australian plate beneath the Sunda plate. Krakatau is not the only volcano of this chain to have erupted with devastating consequences. Toba, to the north, was responsible for the largest known eruption of the past 100,000 years; while Tambora and Rinjani, to the south east, had major eruptions in 1815 and 1257, both of which may have had global consequences. Wow! Factor: An index that reflects the relative amount the volcano makes the VTT Team go Wow !(*) ( 0 to 100)

Wow factor– 93. Mayon is a classically conical volcano, which stands proud from the countryside around. Unpredictability– 7. The pattern of known activity at Erebus is spectacular, but monotonous – with an occasional, but long-lived, lava lake and spectacular bubble bursts deep within the current crater.Playing card games, such as our volcano top trumps game, is beneficial for children in a number of ways:

There is also a wealth of footage of the 1980 eruption, and its aftermath, on the web. Some of the most spectacular of these have been gathered together in on the Eruptions blog by Erik Klemetti. It is also worth seeing an excellent film from the United States Forestry Service that documents the build up to the 1980 eruption, the eruption itself and its impacts.

Teaching about the latest events?

Yasur is one of the most charismatic volcanoes in the world, with a history of repeated strombolian and vulcanian explosions that have been continuing for centuries.

Unpredictability– 7. Its current state of almost continuous activity means that Yasur’s unpredictability is quite low.

Volcanoes Top Trumps

Wow factor– 66. This score might well have been higher before 1883.. but what remains of the volcano from that eruption is now mainly underwater. Last known eruption: Erebus has an active lava lake, which has occasional explosions. So it is one of those volcanoes classified as in continuing eruption.