Molten sulfur emitted from the Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia, creates a magical blue light at night.

Adventurous travelers often enjoy exploring Kawah Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia, after dark to see its eerie blue glow.

The magical blue color of lava

Kawah Ijen is an active volcano that releases sulfuric gases that cause the flames to flare up, creating a blue flame that hovers in the night sky. When it erupts, its lava is a shimmering blue. It is a cone-shaped volcano with a crater about 22 km in diameter, spewing out unusually colored lava flows.

In fact, the blue color of lava is not as magical as many people imagine. In fact, this is just a basic chemical reaction. Normally, lava flows are naturally red. But due to the surrounding heat and the burning of sulfur, the color changes, emitting a blue light. The amount of sulfur sprayed onto the ground from cracks and molten rock.

Instead of the usual red color, this lava flow has a strange blue color.

It is estimated that more than a dozen people, mostly miners and foreign tourists, have died in toxic sulfur fires at the site over the past 30 years. Local miners rely on the natural sulfur for their livelihood. They work near the crater to collect the material without any protection. Despite the dangers, the miners enter the mountain every day to collect solid sulfur to sell for money.

Lava flows

Although the scenery around Kawah Ljen volcano is particularly attractive, the burning sulfur gas is very toxic to the human body if accidentally inhaled. Therefore, anyone visiting this area must be careful because Kawah Ljen can destroy the body from a distance.

Let’s see more of the strange blue color of lava flows at Kawah Ijen volcano:

Photographers must use protective equipment against toxic gases.

The mysterious green of nature

Toxic gas rising from the volcano