Kawah Ijen, The Volcano That Spews Blue Flames. Unfortunately, many locals work around the blue volcano without any proper protective gear. These miners are paid $13 a day to collect the sulfur released by the volcano. Some workers use a wet cloth as a makeshift mask, but that doesn’t make their job very easy, comfortable, or even safe.Local miners have created a series of pipes and tunnels to channel the sulfur from the volcanic gases down into ground pools. Here, the sulfur hardens and dries, turning yellow before workers break it apart into smaller pieces to sell at local refineries. Some of these pieces are also sold to tourists. The sulfur sells for less than 25 cents a pound, meaning miners deal with large quantities, carting 176-220 pounds of sulfur each day.He told New Scientist, “The phenomenon is so uncommon. We really feel like we are on another planet.” To make you really feel like you’ve left planet earth, the blue volcano at Kawah Ljen sits adjacent to a large green lake called Kawah Ljen Crater Lake. The lake’s unique color can be blamed on the blue volcano, which continually erupts hydrogen chloride gas into the nearby body of water. Creating a green lake with pH levels near 0, and a high concentration of hydrochloric acid. Now that’s one lake you don’t want to go swimming in!
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 00:41:10 +0000
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