The Volcano Explorer: Fire And Ash – An intrepid volcano explorer wearing fire-proof underwear reveals he almost burned alive in the cauldron of a lava lake.
Stunning images offer a glimpse into the life of Marc Szeglat, 50, from Oberhausen Germany, who travels the world climbing the largest and most terrifying volcanoes on the planet.
The Volcano Explorer: Fire And Ash
This year, Mark ventured to southern Italy where he flew a drone camera over Mount Etna and Stromboli – two of the most active volcanoes in Europe.
Volcanoes: Oxford Exhibition Gives The Fiery Inside Story
But the adventurer does not always keep a safe distance from the deadly eruptions, revealing to the Sun Online that he was almost melted alive while climbing Erta Alé in Ethiopia in 2002.
He said: “A friend and I went down with a rope to collect a sample of a lava sample from a lava lake in a deep pit crater.
“We were standing on a terrace 40m above the lava lake as the crater walls began to collapse around us.
Marc Szeglat, pictured bottom right, in front of a lava lake at Erta Alé in EthiopiaCredit: Jens Edelmann
Combining Thermal, Tri Stereo Optical And Bi Static Insar Satellite Imagery For Lava Volume Estimates: The 2021 Cumbre Vieja Eruption, La Palma
A giant cloud of smoke explodes into the sky at Sinabung in Sumatra which started erupting in 2013Credit: Marc Szeglat
Explorer Marc uses a drone camera to get close to the eruptions like the one pictured at Stromboli
“Avalans of debris crashed down while we stayed on the middle of the terrace as far as possible from the crater walls – I was going to die.
“But after a while the situation was spoiled and we were able to climb out of the crater – it was like a second birthday.”
Indonesia’s Mount Ruang Erupts Again, Spewing Ash And Peppering Villages With Debris
But while the German explorer survived unharmed, he said a friend, who is a mountaineer, sustained life-changing injuries after crashing into a lava lake in East Africa.
He said: He fell into a lava flow on Ol Doinio Lengai in Tanzania – the volcano that has the coldest lava on earth.
Marc, 50, has been obsessed with volcanoes since climbing Stromboli while studying geology at universityCredit: Marc Szeglat
“If the crust is thick you can survive for a while, but if you get in direct contact with the molten lava, you will die in a quick but horrible way.”
The Volcano That Changed The World
In 1990, while studying geology at university, Marc’s love of lava began when he climbed his first active volcano, Stromboli near Sicily.
And Mark returned to southern Italy earlier this year to further document Stromboli and Mount Etna – Europe’s biggest volcano that is a constant threat to its surrounding communities.
“In February and March, lava flows flowed above the upper parts of Etna and a sudden explosion injured several observers, as the lava came into contact with melting ice water.”
He said: “For protection I wear a gas mask, helmet, boots, gloves, safety glasses and sometimes Nomex underwear which is not flammable.”
Adventure Lombok Tour
We pay for your stories! Have a story for the Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. We also pay for videos. Click here to download yours because nothing has stopped us but our better judgment. There were no guards, no rails, no signs for directions to see the active lava flow. This was the wild. What we did was at our discretion, our safety.
My heart leaped with excitement. The hot lava swirled around us, destroying and destroying at the same time. The island of Hawaii has lost many lives and homes to the four volcanoes that make up this beautiful island. The history of the volcanoes is an ongoing thread through their history. The volcanoes make the island. The volcanoes destroy the island. The people who live here respect it. And of course. Before I saw the flow, I would hear people talking about the volcanoes with respect. After viewing the active flow, I see why. You have to respect something this powerful in nature. It is God’s creation, still at work. It’s his creation, still creating. It’s humbling and awe-inspiring.
When we planned our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, we did not plan to visit Kalapana, the sight of the active lava flow, but a chance encounter with a French Canadian hiker on Mauna Kea sent us on the adventure. From Kalapana, we rented bikes from one of the many vendors and rode three miles along the coast to get as close to the active run as we could. It was a bumpy ride, past tiny homes and shacks built on the existing lava fields. On one side of their home, the Pacific Ocean looms; On the other side, there is an active volcano. It’s a desolate place to build a home, and I wondered who decided to set up camp here. Artists trying to escape the world? Scientists? Daredevils? It is a life sandwiched between water and fire.
At the road block, we parked our bikes and turned away from the ocean, it was an estimated 1.5 mile hike to where the lava was flowing. We strapped our daughter onto my husband’s back, and we took off to the volcano. The cooled black lava cracked and broke under our feet. It reminded my husband and I of the ribbon candy you see at Christmas time, but a much more sinister version. The color of licorice, but the consistency of stone in some places, and ash in others, it was unlike anything I have ever encountered before. Some places were firmer than others. My husband shouted back to watch where I stepped for fear of slipping through the many layers of ash. Some places chipped at the slightest pressure. It was both an exhilarating yet exhausting hike. You can only move so fast across the vast lava field. The trek was uneven over ribbons and ribbons of cooled lava flow. Cracks in the ground would suddenly be in front of us, bearings of lava building up on both sides. We carefully picked our way closer to where the current was coming from. It was desolate but beautiful at the same time. The closer we got, the hotter the air became.
Volcano Tourism Is Booming, But Is It Too Risky?
The earth itself felt like it was on fire. My feet slowly warmed in my shoes, like a frog in boiling water.
The smell of sulfur told us we had arrived. The black field was now broken by silvery streams of fresh lava flame, not yet cooled and spit with dazzling lava in the cracks.
We could not believe what we saw. Despite being told what we would see, it’s a different feeling to see it in person, experiencing the heat and the steam just a few feet away from you. The air around us crackled like a crowbar. And suddenly, it started to rain. The hot ground trembled as the raindrops met.
We got closer to see the ground erupting with red and orange flames, and suddenly another explorer shouted. The ground beneath us shook. I looked down and saw that lava was flowing under the cracks under my feet. I jumped back further away, realizing that my exhilaration for the moment could not completely override my sense of safety. I wasn’t Frodo trying to destroy the ring of power in Mt Doom in The Lord of the Rings. I was simply a witness to this power.
The Year In Volcanic Activity
Standing constantly on the lava, with all my senses, I soaked everything in as best I could. These were the moments that we traveled. The crater emits roaring red flames and intense heat like a huge melting pot, magma that flows from the crater flows fast, magma flows down the hill, burns the surrounding trees and vegetation, a sea of fire was formed。 Thick smoke Covered the sky, volcanic ash and rock debris splash everywhere, creating the spectacle of a spectacular volcanic eruption, the ground around the volcano is covered with cracks and rock debris, magma craters formed during volcanic eruptions are also scattered across the surrounding eruptions country。 Several Big rocks tumbled down from the top of the mountain, making a huge roar, highly realistic concept art, epic digital painting, digital painting concept art, Stefan Koidl inspired, explorer sketch, concept art wallpaper 4k, amazing concept painting, award winning concept Artist, 4k concept art, 4k concept art, illustration concept art
The crater emits roaring red flames and intense heat, it is like a huge melting pot, magma that flows from the crater flows fast, magma flows down the hillside, burns the surrounding trees and vegetation, a sea of fire is formed. Thick smoke covered the sky, volcanic ash and rock debris splashed everywhere, creating the spectacle of a spectacular volcanic eruption, the ground around the volcano is covered with cracks and rock debris, magma craters formed during volcanic eruptions are also scattered over the surrounding rock . From the top of the mountain, make a huge roar, highly realistic concept art, epic digital painting, digital painting concept art, Stefan Koidl inspired, explorer sketch, concept art wallpaper 4K, amazing concept painting, award winning concept artist, 4K concept art , 4k concept art, painting concept art
AI Face Swap Explore different identities and discover your new self with one click.AI Image Upscaler Make crystal clarity magic today! Remove background Removes background through AI recognition AI text to image generator Transform plain words into stunning art AI Makeup The beauty formulas of a million makeup artists AI Eraser Erase