Human and Natural Wonders of A S I A (Amazing World) Feb. 2015 | Page 12

here is a great amount of ridges, mountains and volcanoes in Asia; some of these natural wonders are worlwide known by its sizes and history, but Kawah Ijen volcano is known by an amazing fact...r

This volcano spews blue lava!

The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes in the Banyuwangi Regency of East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano is the highest point of that complex. The name "Merapi" means "mountain of fire" in the Indonesian language; Mount Merapi in central Java and Marapi in Sumatra have the same etymology.

West of Gunung Merapi is the Ijen volcano, which has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake.

Since National Geographic mentioned the electric-blue flame of Ijen, tourist numbers increased.[citation needed] The

phenomenon has occurred for a long time, but beforehand there was no

midnight hiking. A two-hour hike is required to reach the rim of the crater, followed by a 45 minute hike down to the bank of the crater.

BUT...

Why does this happen?

The blue fire is ignited sulphuric gas, which emerges from cracks with temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit).

While the sulhpur appears bright red during the day, at night it gives off an eerie blue light with flames that can reach up to five feet in height (1.5 meters). Of course, the key is that it “appears” one color during the day and another during the night. It’s really just easier to see the blue color when it is dark.

This lava turns the rocky slopes into a hot wasteland (it’s at least 239 degrees Fahrenheit or 115 degrees Celsius at any given time). It also turns the area into a highly toxic environment..

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