Verlaten Island
Native name: Pulau Sertung | |
|---|---|
 A map of the Krakatoa archipelago; Verlaten is at the upper left | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sunda Strait, Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 6°5′29.288″S 105°22′54.329″E / 6.09146889°S 105.38175806°E |
| Archipelago | Krakatoa archipelago |
| Administration | |
| Lampung | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Verlaten Island (Dutch: Abandoned, Deserted or Forsaken; modern Indonesian: Pulau Sertung) is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, located between Java and Sumatra. It is part of the Krakatoa archipelago, situated above the famous Krakatoa volcano caldera. The island may have been created during the 535 AD eruption of Krakatoa.
Other than some minor collapse in the southeast (closest to the main island of Rakata),[1] Verlaten suffered little direct damage in the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. Instead, it grew almost three times in area due to massive pumice fall, although most of the new coastal gain was quickly eroded away by ocean waves. Today, the island is strictly uninhabited and forms part of the Krakatoa Nature Reserve (Cagar Alam Krakatau).
Geography and geology
[edit]Verlaten is a relatively low-lying island with a central hill, which is the remnant of its original volcanic cone. It lies to the northwest of Rakata and directly west of Anak Krakatau, forming a protective arc around the site of the 1883 caldera collapse.
After the 1883 eruption, Verlaten developed a low spit of land extending to the northeast. This spit trapped water, creating a brackish lake near its end. While this lake initially became a haven for waterfowl, it has since been breached and largely destroyed by wave erosion.[2]
Ecology
[edit]Because Verlaten Island was completely buried under meters of hot pumice and ash during the 1883 eruption, it has served as a crucial natural laboratory for scientists studying ecological succession and biological recolonization.
Early 20th-century expeditions, such as those by Dutch zoologist K. W. Dammerman in 1923, extensively documented the return of insect and animal life to the island.[3] The island's unique brackish lake on the northeastern spit was studied by zoologist Nelson Annandale in 1924, who discovered specialized freshwater and brackish-water sponges thriving in the isolated environment.[4]
Today, the island remains devoid of permanent human settlement to allow natural ecosystems to recover. It serves as an important nesting ground for various seabirds and endangered sea turtle species, and its coastal reefs are gradually recovering.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Sturdy, E. W. (September 1884). "The Volcanic Eruption of Krakatoa". The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ↑ Whittaker, R. J. (1992). "Ecological aspects of plant colonisation of the Krakatau Islands". GeoJournal. 28 (2): 167–177. doi:10.1007/BF00177233.
- ↑ Dammerman, K. W. (1923). "The Fauna of Krakatau, Verlaten Island and Sebesy". Treubia. 3: 61–112.
- ↑ Annandale, N. (1924). "Sponges from brackish water on Verlaten Island, near Krakatau". Treubia. 4: 1–10.
Bibliography
[edit]- Furneaux, Rupert (1964). Krakatoa. Cleveland, Ohio: World Publishing Company.
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