Expressive You: [FunOnTheNet] Nyiragongo Crater: Journey to the Center of the World-(Part-2)

Nyiragongo Crater: Journey to the Center of the World-(Part-2)

In June 2010, a team of scientists and intrepid explorers stepped onto the shore of the lava lake boiling in the depths of Nyiragongo Crater, in the heart of the Great Lakes region of Africa. The team had dreamed of this: walking on the shores of the world's largest lava lake. Members of the team had been dazzled since childhood by the images of the 1960 documentary "The Devil's Blast" by Haroun Tazieff, who was the first to reveal to the public the glowing red breakers crashing at the bottom of Nyiragongo crater. Photographer Olivier Grunewald was within a meter of the lake itself, giving us a unique glimpse of it's molten matter. (The Big Picture featured Olivier Grunewald's arresting images of sulfur mining in Kawah Ijen volcano in East Java, Indonesia, in a December 2010 post.) -- Paula Nelson (28 photos total)

Using a laser telemeter, a member measures the changing size of the lava lake.

Dario Tedesco, a volcanologist, collects gas to learn more about the volcanic activity.

The hot gas condensates into a small puddle. Scientists say it is vital to take measurements in the crater over several periods in order to

better understand the volcano and determine when it could erupt.

At night, the base camp is illuminated by the light of the lava lake.

The goal of the expedition is to reach the rim of the lava lake. Nobody has previously survived such an encounter.

Members of the team keep in contact through radio and relay data about the lava lake's activities and the direction of the gases.

Climbers must determine the best method for descent.

Pierre-Yves Burgi collects gas near the bottom of the crater. The samples will be studied by Dario Tedesco, who was recently named as the head of

Natural Risk Analysis and Prevention with the United Nations Office for Project Services.