Yasur is one of the most active
volcanoes in the world. It's been erupting every few minutes for
at least 800 years. The eruptions typically start with an impressive
shock wave that travels up the side of the crater, disturbing
the smoke & dust. When you see this, you know that about a
half second later, the show is about to begin. The next thing
is a huge explosion of molten chunks of rock. These lava bombs
are shot out at high speed and travel several hundreds of meters
through the air. During the day, they are dark and tough to see
but at night, they are brilliant orange. They can be as large
as a washing machine and are often hurled well outside of the
crater and past the pathway that circles the crater rim. The last
phase of the eruption sends a huge, billowing cloud of volcanic
ash high into the air like an atomic bomb. The wind typically
carries it away and dissipates the ash cloud.