What would you do if you saw this…take a selfie? 😉

You don’t see this everyday.  And to make things more awesome, this was video recorded and uploaded to YouTube for your viewing pleasure. We do not recommend hanging out by the side of a volcano that is erupting just for the record.

There is of course geological explanation for this and it involves sulphur:

The Ijen volcanic complex is a collection of stratovolcanoes in East Java, containing a large cauldron-shaped “caldera” that is approximately 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) across. The highest peak belongs to the volcano Gunung Merapi, which very appropriately, if unoriginally, translates as “mountain of fire.”

This emission of thermal radiation gives lava its red hue. In this case, however, the lava is actually burning something else: pockets of sulfur, which spew out of the volcanic crevices along with the molten rock.

We often think of the element sulphur to be yellow and stink.  However you will notice that when heated to extreme temperatures many elements change color.

This is amazing and we hope you get a chance to check one of these things out.

(but only with a professional tour guide 😉