Silent Killer from the Sunda Strait

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

One of the resorts on Carita Beach, Pandeglang, Banten, after being hit by the tsunami on Monday (12/24/2018).

Without any warning, huge waves crashed into the coasts of Banten and Lampung on Saturday evening (12/22/2018). Its destructive characteristics indicated that the wave was a tsunami, reportedly radiating outward from Mount Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau).

The tsunami that hit Banten and Lampung is similar to an “orphan tsunami”, named so because such tsunamis appear to have no known source of origin, like a parent earthquake. The term orphan tsunami was originally coined by United States Geological Survey (USGS) geologist Brian F. Atwater, who determined the origin of the tsunami that destroying the coast of Japan on Dec. 2, 1611, killing 5,000 people. Ancient Japanese literature mentions that the tsunami was not preceded by an earthquake.