Every day hundreds of men climb the 9,000 feet to the summit of Mount Ijen located in Java, Indonesia and then trek 3,000 feet down into the crater to break slabs of sulfur. Each load of sulfur is around 100-135 pounds, which is the approximate total body weight of the miners.
Let's be honest, the best part of High School Chemistry was definitely setting stuff on fire, which is probably why we enjoyed the latest "Beauty of Science" video so much. Following up on his stunning Crystalization timelapse, Yan Liang decided to capture combustion next.
The Ijen group of volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia, features a popular tourist destination called the Blue Fire Crater. Molten sulfur and sulfuric gas emerge from cracks in the crater, causing large blue flames and streams of glowing blue "lava."
Chicago-based photographer Reuben Wu visited the volcano last month, capturing both its majesty from afar and its mesmerizing blue flows from up close.