ERUPTION OF THE LARGEST ACID LAKE ON EARTH

IJEN VOLCANO - The Largest Lake of Acid on Earth (Slideshow) – Java, Indonesia

You'd better to be ready because this could be real shocker.

Indonesia is famous for hosting some of the world's most powerful volcanoes. But perhaps the most amazing Indonesian volcano is Kawah Ijen (2,600 m or 8,660 ft tall), the "Green Crater" from western Java, which has a lake made of 36 million cubic meters representing a pure solution of sulfuric acid and hydrogen chloride, the most powerful existing acids.

On the edges of the lake, the fumaroles (volcanic gas eruptions) depose 4 tonnes of sulfur daily. Molten sulfur tends to get darker in colour as temperature increases, with orange flows often visible over the background of yellow solidified sulfer deposit. Sulfur can also self-ignite at temperature as low as 248 C and burns with blue flame as sulfur dioxide gas is formed.

We started our hike to the top of volcano 1 AM in order to reach burning sulfur mines during the night. First we climbed 900 meters up to the edge of the volcano and then 300 dreadful meters down to the edge of acid crater lake and burning sulfur mines. View of the sulfur mine burning with blue flames took my breath away. I have really never ever seen anything even close to that. Gas masks were mandatory since concentration of sulfur smoke was unsustainable -- particularly when wind suddenly changed direction and I've stacked couple of times in the middle of impenetrable sulfur smoke. Atmosphere of volcano amphitheatre was spectacularly gloomy and give to one feeling of being on different planet.

The crater lake water contains a great quantity of dissolved volcanic gases, so much that the water is extremely acidic with average temperature of 64 C. The gas, full of hydrochloric acid and sulfur dioxide and therefore extremely poisonous, sometimes collects in large bubbles that burst on the surface of the lake transforming the crater into a true death trap. In 1976 an event of this kind killed 49 sulfur workers. Another 25 died in 1989.

Well try to enjoy that -- I certainly did!

Cheers
Jiri