Phantom Drone Carries GoPro into Active Volcano and Survives

There are all sorts of things you can do with a flying drone aircraft or quadcopter carrying a camera. You could do the obvious and chase your dog or cat around the house. You could have it follow your significant other around to make sure they’re not causing trouble.

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One thing I would not have thought of doing with a camera-packing drone is send it into the caldera of an active volcano. I would expect the hot gas and flying molten lava to destroy the drone in short order. I would be wrong, at least in this instance. Recently, Shaun O’Callaghan’s DJI Phantom quadcopter drone carried a GoPro into an active volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu.

You can see in the video that lava and gas are flying everywhere and going all around the camera and drone. I can’t believe the thing survived, but Shaun says the drone says no harm came to it or the camera during filming.

[via DroneHire]

This Drone Footage of an Erupting Volcano Is Absolutely Nuts

Put your face close to your screen and hit play. This short video, uploaded by YouTuber Shaun O’Callaghan, was shot from a DJI Phantom quad-copter as Yasur volcano on Tanna Island in Vanuatu erupted.

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The gates of hell open in this time-lapse video

The gates of hell open in this time-lapse video

I just came across this cool old time-lapse video made by scientists from the US Geological Survey: The collapse of the crater floor of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō, one of the cones of the Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii.

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The real highway to hell is in Russia

The real highway to hell is in Russia

This is the Tolbachik volcano, laying down roads of magma over the Peninsula of Kamchatka for condemned Russians to drive on their way to hell in cars equipped with dashcams. At least, that’s what it looks like in Lusika33’s photographs. It’s truly pretty—in a Mordor kind of way.

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Volcano turns entire island into world of ash

Volcano turns entire island into world of ash

The Indonesian volcano Kelud exploded with a powerful eruption on February 13, killing three people and prompting the evacuation of 100,000 people. The eruption sent a large plume of ash 10 miles (17 kilometers) high into the sky, drifting west across Java and over the Indian Ocean, causing the shutdown of several airports.

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Molten Magma Could Power Electric Plants of the Future

Molten Magma Could Power Electric Plants of the Future

Good old geothermal plants generate power using water heated by hot rocks deep underground. But what if we could get energy directly from the seething magma down below? In Iceland, an accidental discovery let scientists actually stick a pipe into magma to test this idea—and the results of their experiment has just been published in the journal Geothermics.

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A Combination of Volcanic Smog and Sunglint Is Breathtaking

A Combination of Volcanic Smog and Sunglint Is Breathtaking

You’re looking at a picture of the Vanuatu Archipelago in Australia, shrouded in vog—a word used to describe the kind of volcanic smog which is formed when gases from a volcano react with sunlight, oxygen and moisture.

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Spectacular blue lava flows at this Indonesian volcano

Spectacular blue lava flows at this Indonesian volcano

Photographer Olivier Grunewald first learned about the Kawah Ijen volcano in 2008. A sulfur mine by day, this infernal Indonesian mountain turns into a surreal alien landscape when the night comes. His pictures—taken in very dangerous conditions—are stunning:

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Rocks rain over Sumatra as terrible volcano keeps erupting

Rocks rain over Sumatra as terrible volcano keeps erupting

The situation in Sumatra is getting worse: Mount Sinabung erupted eight times in just a few hours on Sunday. The volcano’s continuing eruptions cover everything with ash and now officials have reported rocks raining down over a large area, forcing thousands to flee their homes. These new images show the ongoing drama.

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New Volcanic Island Rises out of the Ocean Near Japan

There are a number of volcanically-formed islands in the oceans around the world. A new volcanic island has poked its peak above the surface of the ocean for the first time recently.

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The exact location of the island is unknown, but it is said to be close to Japan. The island is actually the tip of an active volcano. It was discovered when coastguard services saw smoke and went to investigate. What they found was an active volcano spewing smoke and molten rock.

The island is tiny right now measuring only 200 meters wide. Since the island is so small it hasn’t even been named. Scientists say that since it is made from volcanic rock it may not live long as such rock erodes easily. If the island survives it may get a name in the future.

[via BBC]