Quick facts
Island of the Blue Lava Volcano
By Jennifer Allen Across the Pacific ocean, on an island that raises some of the best coffee, there is another mysterious phenomenon that has captured imaginations…a blue lava volcano. Kawah volcano is actually part of a vast caldera that has been active for over 300,000 years. The mother volcano of the system, old Ijen, formed as a stratovolcano which erupted over 10 miles at that time. Since then, several off shoots from the main stratovolcano have been active. Kawah is just one of those active spots surrounding the caldera and has a vast amount of sulfur. It’s from this sulfur that the magic happens. Sulfur has a very low burning point around 220 degrees more or less at which time it emits a blue gas. That turns into a blue flame which flickers between 5 and 15 feet at a time. As the lava flows out from the volcano, this sulfur also flows with the lava giving off a blue tint. It has been described by some as electric blue and others say it is otherworldly. However, this phenomenon can only really be seen at night time. To those who pass by it in the day time, it has the look of average lava or gives a greenish tint. Only by the cover of darkness does the mystical color appear. The day time does have it’s own show. There is an acid lake nearby that gives off a greenish tint and according to NASA has more acid then battery fluid or lemon juice. The water flows into a river of acid. After studying the water, it was found to be the source of a lot of trouble with the agricultural aspects of the island. It was a known cause to rice crop failure and was harsh on equipment. The irony of this is that mosquito larva still thrive in spite of it. Banyupahit is the name of the river and it means bitter water. There are two other places in the world that have a similar phenomenon. Ethiopia Danakil depression emits blue flames from the same kind of activity, but on a much smaller basis. Occasionally, it has been spotted at Yellowstone but not that frequently. There is also a place in Hawaii where one can catch it before dawn and just after dusk. In fact, one can see blue and lavender tints coming off of the lava if they can capture it at the time right. It is close enough to Bali to go for a visit. A lot of people like to visit it for the sights, but it is recommended that one brings breathing equipment such as a face mask. Most of the locals help mine the sulfur that causes the phenomenon. They are struggling to make a living and cant afford to get their own masks so a lot of the tourists will leave their masks for them to use. There are also guides that will take tourists out at night to see the phenomenon. Although there is a certain health threat, the rich rewards of the volcanic activity helped bring some of the best coffee in other parts of the island. |
Redwoods in Colorado
by Jennifer Allen Coming soon! |