Rina was fascinated when she read about the mysterious Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia, that spews blue lava. The colours that come to her mind, when a volcano erupts, are a mix of molten orange-red-yellow, certainly not blue!
She learned that the blue, unusual for a volcano, is due to the presence of an active solfatara (a natural volcanic steam vent) which emits strong gasses with high levels of sulphur. The gasses emerge from the cracks in the volcano, and when they come in contact with the oxygen-rich atmospheric air, they ignite, giving rise to a blue flame. Some of the gases condense into liquid sulphur while they continue to burn and flow down the slope, giving the appearance of blue lava. The flame burns throughout the day, but the blue hue is best seen at night.
Red and Blue Lava
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