The Big Picture, a photo-essay page of Boston.com, has published two series of photographs of sulfur-mining activities at the Kawah Ijen volcano in Indonesia. The first was taken during daylight hours, the second at night. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite, reduced in size to fit this blog.
Inside the caldera of Kawah Ijen. Steam rises from the sulfur deposits.
Sulphur condenses, cools and solidifies into rocks
Miners cut the sulphur into manageable chunks and carry it out of the caldera to a collection point, where they sell it to refiners. A miner will work for hours in dangerous, toxic conditions and make no more than $10-$15 per day.
Miners cut sulfur into chunks at night, working by torchlight.
Above them, a sulfur deposit burns blue, ignited by their torches.
Above them, a sulfur deposit burns blue, ignited by their torches.
A burning sulfur deposit begins to melt and flow like water.
There are many more daytime and nighttime photographs at the links (all considerably larger than the small reproductions here). Very interesting, and recommended viewing.
Peter
Hell of a way to make ten bucks a day!
Jim