The lava lake in January 2011 |
Conjunction of Venus and the moon at dawn of 30 Jan. Red plume from the lava lake at left. | On the rim of the new pit about 15m deep, with the fountaining lava lake about 50m wide. | Vertical view down to the lake from the east rim. A visitor takes the risk to stand on the unstable south rim. | Suddenly strong convection in the lake exposes fresh magma from below along the incadescent cracks. |
View of the lake from the west rim. Note the cracks on the south rim at right, a worrisome sight! | Incandescent gas melts new fissures in the pit walls on the lower right from the photographer on the east rim. | Tourists spend an unforgettable night on the safer west rim (view from the camp on the caldera rim). | At dawn of 31 Jan, the Moon has moved halfway between Venus (top) and the horizon. |
The strong fountain below the south rim has stopped its activity, while the cracks emit hot blue gas. | Thorsten Bockel (white T-shirt) is filming the strong fountains below the pit's south rim. | Martin Rietze uses a gas-mask as protection against the terribly hot gas coming from the lake. | Panorama over the other larger (north) pit, where the hornito shows an incandescent vent. |
Lava overflows of November 2010 from the new pit (center right) have completely filled the former (and larger) south pit. | Downwind from the lava lake, a dense carpet of fair Pele's hair covers the silvery fresh pahoehoe lava. | Panorama of the lava overflows of November 2010 seen from the west rim of Erta Ale's caldera. | Panorama of the new pit and of the lava overflows from the hornito just south of the lava lake. |
Photos by Marco Fulle, taken with 10.5mm and 16mm fisheye lenses, and 135mm on digital single lens reflex camera. |