The sun blazes down onto azure water as the boat floats a safe distance from what looks like an idyllic mountaintop. Suddenly, though, a plume of smoke bursts out, which would not be jarring in and of itself but for the subtle movement of air that can be seen in the pushing aside of the clouds overhead.

“Watch out for the shock, it’s coming,” says the videographer, Phil McNamara, on the boat. No sooner are the words out of his mouth than there is a huge sonic BOOM, like a cannon on steroids, and the boat jerks.

This is nature at her most powerful, the humbling reminder that creatures, including we humans, exist on this earth at its whim.


Tavurvur actually burst into life almost simultaneously with Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano, back in August 2014. But as the Washington Post noted at the time, “their surroundings could not be more different.”

Tavurvur is in tropical Papua New Guinea and erupted for the first time since 2006, causing concern that ash could disrupt air travel to Australia. That did not materialize, either there or for Bardarbunga, which is encased in glacial ice.
Source

Martin Rietze, the photographer behind the website Alien Landscapes on Planet Earth, is willing to do whatever it takes to get a great photo -- even if that means inching towards a volcanic explosion while scalding lava spews into the air and lightning strikes from dark clouds above.

Rietze is a "volcano-chaser," according to the Daily Mail, a particular breed of photographer who takes big risks for big shots. He was able to capture destructive and beautiful forces of nature at work on a trip to Japan in February. His photos show the Sakurajima Volcano, an active volcanic who's record-breaking 1914 eruption sent lava flows across the island.

After hours of silence, a lightning storm exploded above the volcano, Rietze notes on his website. During the 20-second storm, where bolts of lightning froze molten lava into dangerous lava bombs, Rietze snapped these fire and brimstone images and made a quick get-away.

"If fitted with a proper gas mask, helmet and protective clothing, you can stand a few dozen feet away from boiling lava lakes. It is an experience you will never forget," Rietze told the Daily Mail in an interview.
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The risk paid off. On Monday one of Rietze's photos was picked as NASA's Astronomy Photo of the Day.


Sakurajima Volcano with Lightning

Image Credit & Copyright: Martin Rietze (Alien Landscapes on Planet Earth)

Explanation: Why does a volcanic eruption sometimes create lightning? Pictured above, the Sakurajima volcano in southern Japan was caught erupting in early January. Magma bubbles so hot they glow shoot away as liquid rock bursts through the Earth's surface from below. The above image is particularly notable, however, for the lightning bolts caught near the volcano's summit. Why lightning occurs even in common thunderstorms remains a topic of research, and the cause of volcanic lightning is even less clear. Surely, lightning bolts help quench areas of opposite but separated electric charges. One hypothesis holds that catapulting magma bubbles or volcanic ash are themselves electrically charged, and by their motion create these separated areas. Other volcanic lightning episodes may be facilitated by charge-inducing collisions in volcanic dust. Lightning is usually occurring somewhere on Earth, typically over 40 times each second.

Recently since the end of July this year on the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, the Cleveland volcano has begun to call for attention. It has been seeping lava and creating a dome to the top of the volcano. If the dome continues to grow in size, it could plug the volcano and create enough pressure within it to cause a large enough explosion. This would cause the ash to reach upwards into the atmosphere towards flight level. Although this kind of an eruption is uncharacteristic for this volcano, it has occurred in other volcanoes in Alaska after the buildup of a dome.

The buildup was noticed on August 9th via satellite where it was shown to be almost 200 feet in diameter. The volcano is located inside a 5,676-foot mountain peak and is about 940 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. The Cleveland volcano sits on the Chuginadak Island which is currently uninhabited so there is little danger to humans of any kind. The closet community of people is about 45 miles to the east so it is far enough away to not be effected by a major explosion should it occur in the near future.

The biggest concern would be interrupting flight patterns in the North America flight corridor that is used by many major airlines. The last time the Cleveland volcano had a major explosion was in 2001 when it erupted. At that time it's lava flow did reach the ocean in a spectacular display of color, heat, energy and lot's of fiery sparks. If it does erupt again in 2011, ten years later, it will be sure not to disappoint those watching!

In early June of this year, the Puryehue volcano in the Andes mountains of southern Chile erupted. It had not been active since 1960 when it was awakened after an earthquake. This time when it erupted it sent a huge plume of ash 6 miles high across Argentina towards the Atlantic Ocean. It's effects are still being felt for as early as July 1st, flights at the Buenos Aires airport in Argentina were still being disrupted due to low visibility caused by the volcano's ash in the atmosphere. Below are some more amazing photos of the signature of the Puryehue volcano on the landscape of Argentina.

Flames of fire shot up into the sky while lightening danced all around when one of Chile's volcanic mountains erupted again the other day on June the 4th. This was the first time in over 50 years for the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic chain which is about 575 miles south of the capital of Santiago. It was not immediately sure which of the four volcanoes actually erupted though because of the extent of the ash emitted and also the weather conditions at the time. The last time one of the volcanoes in this chain erupted was in 1960.

Ash was spewed six miles up into the atmosphere of the Chilean sky and strong winds carried it over into the neighboring country of Argentina. The acrid smell of sulphur hung heavy in the air and there was constant seismic activity being reported. Airports were closed and the Chilean government had evacuated around 3500 people in the surrounding area. This was done as a precaution while the ash proceeded to heavily coat the area. The ash was so thick that one could easily mistake it for snow by it's appearance.

This eruption is just the latest in volcanic activity in recent years in Chile. In 2008, Chile's Chaiten volcano erupted in a spectacular display for the first time in thousands of years, spewing molten rock and a vast cloud of ash that was visible from outer space. Rivers were swollen and towns were coated with ash in nearby Argentina. In 2008 and 2009, Chile's Llaima volcano erupted also. Llaima is one of Chile's most active volcanoes.

Just another spectacular example of Chile's very active volcanic landscape and Mother Nature's power. Chile is second to Indonesia in the world with the number of volcanoes within it's borders. It has around 2,000 volcanoes with about 500 that are potentially active. It has been recorded that between 50-60 have erupted throughout time. When Mother Nature speaks in Chile, people are forced to pay attention.

Above cloud level the plume looks like a nuclear bomb has just exploded with its mushroom cloud bursting towards the skies- AFP-GETTY Images

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 The face of Earth it is still changing, and science sees no certain limit of time for its stately evolution. Our solid earth, apparently so stable, inert, and finished, is changing, mobile, and still evolving.And the secret of existence , the secret in  the heart of the earth, forever invisible to human eyes.

Tungurahua Erupts
Credit & Copyright: Patrick Taschler

Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland
photo : National Geographic

Hawaii volcano lava flow
photo : extremeimageology

Volcano on Iceland
photo : Patulkaa

Volcano
photo : AndreeWallin

The Milky Way Over the Peak of the Furnace
Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot

Erupting Volcano Anak Krakatau
Credit & Copyright: Marco Fulle

Magma Bubbles from Mt. Etna
Credit & Copyright: Marco Fulle