Adrenaline Rush: Standing on the Edge of a Spewing Volcano

by Nancy Atkinson on September 19, 2012

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This may be the most incredible volcano video ever filmed. Looking like it comes from the latest natural disaster flick, this incredible real footage was captured by Geoff Mackley, Bradley Ambrose, Nathan Berg, who came within 30 meters of the bubbling, spewing lava stream from the mouth the Marum volcano on Ambrym, a volcanic island in the archipelago of Vanuatu, off the east coast of Australia.

“Climbing down to within 30 metres of the lava it was so hot (1150 degrees) that without protection we could stand the heat for 6 seconds before retreating,” writes Mackley on his website. “With a respirator fire and heat resistant suit, [we] could stand on the edge and see the amazing spectacle for over 40 minutes.”

Wow! You can see some incredible images at Mackley’s website.

Hat tip: io9

About

Nancy Atkinson is Universe Today's Senior Editor. She also is the host of the NASA Lunar Science Institute podcast and works with the Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy podcasts. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Danielcb2000 Daniel Brewer

    “Climbing down to within 30 metres of the lava it was so hot (1150 degrees) that without protection we could stand the heat for 6 seconds before retreating,”
    They could stand 1150 degree air temps for six seconds?

  • http://www.facebook.com/john.clinton.716 John Clinton

    He could have made millions if he started chugging a Mountain Dew.

  • Aqua4U

    Wary scawey! and kinda nuts too! It is so amazing to see molten rock behave like water! Gushing and splashing like waves breaking on a beach in hell? Then I had a ‘flash’ of either an extraterrestrial astronaut or a terrestrial time traveler visiting Earth billions of years ago.. just as some parts of the crust solidified.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Torbjörn-Larsson/1402910612 Torbjörn Larsson

    Hot item added to bucket list. [Note to self: Make sure of fireproof list.]

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