Kawah Ijen by night

[ignhelper]

Was on the big picture, and it looks fucking amazing. Thought I share with you guys:

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k01_00000077.jpg[/img]

A sulfur miner stands inside the crater of the Kawah Ijen volcano at night, holding a torch, looking towards a flow of liquid sulfur which has caught fire and burns with an eerie blue flame. (© Olivier Grunewald)

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k02_00000014.jpg[/img]

Descending into the Kawah Ijen caldera, a one-kilometer-wide acidic crater lake lies in the middle. On its shore, the sulfur mining operation. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k03_00000015.jpg[/img]

Steam and acidic gases emerge from fumaroles among yellowish chunks of sulfur and burning liquid sulfur on Kawah Ijen. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k04_00000024.jpg[/img]

Flaming molten sulfur flows inside the volcanic crater. Sulfur will melt at just above 100 C (212 F), but the temperatures in the crater do not get high enough for spontaneous combustion - the fires are lit by the miner's dripping torches. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k05_00000045.jpg[/img]

A miner chips away hunks of solid sulfur to take with him back to the mine office. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k07_00000029.jpg[/img]

Miners labor in hellish conditions to retrieve the sulfur - Photographer Olivier Grunewald describes the smell as overwhelming, requiring a gas mask for safety, which few of the miners possess. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k09_00000017.jpg[/img]

A formation caused by liquid sulfur flow inside the crater of Kawah Ijen. When molten, sulfur appears nearly blood red, as it cools, it becomes more and more yellow. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k10_00000006.jpg[/img]

Molten sulfur burns after it drips from stone and ceramic pipes that have condensed the sulfuric gases from the volcano into a liquid, depositing it to cool and harden for later retrieval. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k13_00000027.jpg[/img]

Working close to condensation pipes a miner gathers sulfur from Kawah Ijen, molten sulfur burning blue in the background. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k15_00000023.jpg[/img]

Molten sulfur burns atop a solid sulfur deposit. Miners will extinguish the flames before they leave to prevent any loss of sulfur. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k16_00000037.jpg[/img]

A miner begins his return trip with his heavy load of sulfur. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k17_00000076.jpg[/img]

A masked miner walks through a thick cloud of steam and acidic gas, carrying a torch near the blue flames of a burning liquid sulfur flow. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k22_00000082.jpg[/img]

Miners carrying torches climb back up the wall of Kawah Ijen's crater, beginning their return trip with a 200 meter climb to the crater lip. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

[img]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k30_00000103.jpg[/img]

Photographer Olivier Grunewald kneels to get a photograph on a small rock outcropping in the acid crater lake of Kawah Ijen. "The feeling is like being on another planet" he said. Grunewald lost one camera and two lenses to the harsh conditions in the crater, and when it was over, he threw all of his clothes in the garbage, as the sulfuric smell was so strong and would not wash out. (© Olivier Grunewald) #

More pictures here:
[url]http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/12/kawah_ijen_by_night.html[/url]

[MrJazzy]

Wow the last picture looks like something from a fantasy world like Lord of The Rings or something.

[slowchild]

that looks really fucking cool

[Nachy]

[media]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k01_00000077.jpg[/media]
[media]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k17_00000076.jpg[/media]
[media]http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/kawahnight_12_08/k13_00000027.jpg[/media]

these look like some super awesome concept art for a movie or video game

rest of the shots are plainly amazing and surreal

[Murkat]

Thems some cool blue flames there.

[Super_Poo]

The spice must flow!

[Infected Vagina]

I just creamed my pants.

[mald]

Wow, those look amazing. I really like the night shot of the molten sulfur as it burns blue.

I'd be a little nervous to be the camera guy on the rock in the last shot.

[Jasun]

holy shit earth is sexy

[777ecnatsiser]

holy shit those look amazing.

[Super_Poo]

Ok, after looking at all the pics and the link:

Wow.

[erazor]

Excellent OP. Well done.

[VeniVidiVici74]

Explain to my not-functioning 6 o'clock AM brain why the lava IS FUCKING BLUE?!

[BrQ]

mother of goddd

[Mugofdoom]

[QUOTE=VeniVidiVici74;26645752]Explain to my not-functioning 6 o'clock AM brain why the lava IS FUCKING BLUE?![/QUOTE]

Liquid sulfur burns blue I guess.

[editline]12th December 2010[/editline]

Also holy mother fuck that looks amazing.

[mald]

[QUOTE=VeniVidiVici74;26645752]Explain to my not-functioning 6 o'clock AM brain why the lava IS FUCKING BLUE?![/QUOTE]
Sulfur burns blue.

[Gainax]

Wow... There should be an adventure game based on this place.

[Awesomecaek]

Sulfur gas nor sulfur dioxide produced by burning sulfur are very healthy to breathe. Not healthy at all.
Those miners won't live long without gasmasks.

[pr00ch]

I want to drink that, it looks delicious.

[Viper202]

:science:

[JohnnyMo]

That's super beautiful.

Gotta smell awful though.

[Warriorx4]

Need a wallpaper for one of these.

[Barnhouse]

Hey it's the Blue and Orange look.

Looks awesome.

[Akimotoz]

Woah... that's really beautiful

[Assburgers]

That looks awesome. Wow. Gonna smell like ass though.

[jjsullivan]

That's so pretty

And stinky

[xeo xeo]

I bet it smells worse than my feet

And that's impossible

[Trinholdt]

This is where the next Penumbra will take place.

These are some amazing pictures. But damn, I feel bad for the people who have to smell that.

[RG4]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0[/media]
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[Ronin]

That is a worse job than cleaning out the crumbs of Rosie O'Donnell's fat folds.