Why does Kawah Ijen have blue lava?

Why does Kawah Ijen have blue lava?

The effect is caused by the fact that the lava emerges alongside super-hot, high-pressure sulfuric gases. The gases ignite when sparked by the red-hot lava and mixed with oxygen, resulting in brilliant blue flames that can reach as high as 16 feet (5 meters) into the air.

Why is Indonesian volcano lava blue?

This is a rare phenomenon in the world with the Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia being the world’s most well-known and documented in the world. The fires there burn regularly. Sulfur burns as it comes into contact with hot air (combusts at temperatures above 360 °C (680 °F), the resulting flames are energetic and blue.

What type of lava does Kawah Ijen have?

Kawah Ijen Volcano, on the island of Java, Indonesia has two of the most unusual occurrences on Earth. The first is an active solfatara that emits hot, flammable sulfurous gases. These ignite as they enter Earth’s oxygen-rich atmosphere and burn with an electric blue flame.

How is blue lava made?

“Blue lava” is an electric-blue fire that burns when sulfur combusts, producing a neon-blue flame. Sulfur burns when it comes into contact with hot air at temperatures above 360 °C (680 °F), which produces the energetic flames. Actual lava is red-orange in color, given its temperature.

Why is volcano smoke blue?

“This blue glow, unusual for a volcano, isn’t the lava itself, as unfortunately can be read on many websites,” Grunewald says. “It is due to the combustion of sulfuric gases in contact with air at temperatures above 360°C.”

Is there blue lava in real life?

But at Kawah Ijen, extremely high quantities of sulfuric gases emerge at high pressures and temperatures (sometimes in excess of 600°C) along with the lava. Exposed to the oxygen present in air and sparked by lava, the sulfur burns readily, and its flames are bright blue.

What is blue lava made of?

What is the blue lava volcano?

Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia erupted electric-blue fire, that trickles down the mountain slope at night attracting crowds of tourists and photographers. A Paris-based photographer, Olivier Grunewald, who has been documenting the fascinating Kawah Ijen volcano over several years said that the blue glow isn’t lava.

Is blue lava Hot?

Truly-blue lava would require temperatures of at least 6,000 °C (10,830 °F), which is much higher than any lava can naturally achieve on the surface of the Earth.

Is there purple lava?

The volcano contains large amounts of pure sulfur, which emits an icy violet color as it burns, filling the air with toxic fumes. The picture above was taken in a low lying field in Ethiopia. So what we’re seeing here is not actually blue lava, but normal, bright purple lava, surrounded by blue flames.

Is blue lava toxic?

This is called a Cerulean eruption, and the blue tint that surrounds the lava comes from flames produced when escaping sulphuric gases burn. The volcano contains large amounts of pure sulfur, which emits an icy violet color as it burns, filling the air with toxic fumes.

Can I eat lava?

A café in the Westfjords offers edible pieces of lava. In addition to regular menu items like café latte, cakes and sandwiches you can order edible lava at Bræðraborg Café in the town of Ísafjörður in the Westfjords.