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The red fountain of furnace mountain

by Martin Mergili, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Piton de la Fournaise (translation: furnace mountain) on the island of La Réunion is a highly active shield volcano. The video was recorded on the sixth day of an eruption that lasted from September 11 to September 18, 2016. By that time, the material ejected through lava fountains up to 60-80 m in height had accumulated to a cone of considerable size. Seen from some distance the steady, growling ejection of lava created a majestic, but also peaceful atmosphere.