Electric-Blue Flames Erupt From Volcanoes – Paris-based photographer Olivier Grunewald has been documenting the Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia, where he observed dazzling electric blue fire that can often be seen streaming down the mountain at night.
The Blue glow is unusual for a volcano on the island of Java. The blue glow is actually the light from the combustion of sulfuric gases, and some gases condense into liquid sulfur, which continues to burn as it flows down the slopes giving the feeling of lava flowing. I have never seen this much sulfur flowing at a volcano.
The blue volcanic fire was described in antiquity in Italy on the south slope of Mount Vesuvius and on the island of Volcano. Blue flames may also be observed at the base of the plume of erupting volcanoes when ash explosions occur. I did not use any filters to capture his images of the blue fire. The burning happens day and night, but it’s visible only in darkness. Source: National Geographic
