Stromboli, anyone?

No,  I don’t mean the Italian turnover stuffed with delicious meats and cheeses,  and sometimes veggies.  That is a treat worthy of mention and gustatory pleasure under any circumstances.   No,  I refer to the volcano of  the same name, on a small island off the coast of Sicily,  which has just popped its cork again after killing a hiker in its previous eruption in July.   Volcanoes are fascinating to observe,  but dangerous as hell.

Starfleet or barchan?

Doesn’t this crescent-shaped dune look like the Starfleet logo?   There’s a scientific explanation  for it,  but it’s more fun to imagine that it’s a relic from a Star Trek shoot.   Live long and prosper everywhere!

 

 

Etna, again…

Italy’s Mt. Etna proved  its reputation  as Europe’s most active volcano by erupting again last week.  It previously erupted last December, sparking earthquakes which caused a lot of damage to buildings.   This one features activity at the summit,  and therefore is less likely to promote destruction elsewhere.

Watching the volcano at night is simply spectacular,  and the rich volcanic soil in the area produces  superior quality  crops.   But if you live or farm there,  you are always subject to one of Etna’s periodic temper tantrums which can destroy a village in 48 hours.   It’s a fine place to visit,  especially if you can time your trip for an evening show,  but I would not care to live there.

Lava lake…

Mother Nature can be both deadly and spectacular,  as this photographer proves with  these photos  of a lake of lava which has been active for over a century.   The lake is located in Ethiopia,  inside the crater of a volcano known as the Smoking Mountain.   Joel Santos used a drone to capture the striking images,  but he was himself standing much too close to the molten fluid for my comfort,  especially considering that only a decade ago a major eruption killed a bunch of livestock and sent people fleeing.

What I found particularly interesting was the fireworks display and the shot of the fissure opening up.

Costa Rica volcano erupts…

Costa Rica is a lovely place to visit,  but perhaps  not now  with the Turrialba Volcano erupting.   As is much in nature,  volcanoes are two-edged:  they provide fertile soil to grow food in,  but farmers utilize those fields at no small risk to themselves.

 

 

When the deep purple falls…

Nino Tempo and April Stevens performed a brother and sister  duet which made this song from the 30’s a Grammy-winning hit in the 60’s.   But the lyrics referred to nightfall,  not a  Chilean volcano  turning the sunset sky an eerie eggplant.

 

 

Yellowstone road melting…

When you’re in a thermal wonderland,  roads bubble and melt,  but your crew becomes pretty darned efficient at repairing them,  too.

This is peculiar…

I can’t remember ever hearing about lava coming out of the earth without a volcano involved,  but apparently it’s not only possible,  but  happening in  Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh State,  India.   And what the devil do you call flames, gases and magma spewing out of a four yard wide hole in the ground when it’s not coming from what we call a volcano?   A spew?   An earth-burp?

Volcanic lightning storm…

Look at these  spectacular photos  of a lightning storm in an eruption of the  Cordón Caulle volcano in Chile.   Mother Nature is awesome.

Mount Etna roars…

It has been over 20 years since Etna put on a show for us,  but she is providing a really fine one this week,  and we have some beautiful photographs of the  fiery violence.