Selasa, 01 Mei 2012

Iceland volcano tours: Intrepid tourists can now go inside the crater of a dormant volcano

Iceland volcano tours: Intrepid tourists can now go inside the crater of a dormant volcano

By Chris Leadbeater

PUBLISHED: 08:45 EST, 1 May 2012 | UPDATED: 09:19 EST, 1 May 2012

It is one of those holiday experiences that should probably be filed under ‘intrepid’.

As of next month, visitors to Iceland with a taste for adventure will be able to sign up for a tour that takes them inside the crater of a colossal volcano.

Iceland volcano

Into the void: The new tours allow visitors to go inside the Thrihnukagigur volcano

This might seem an unwise prospect in a country where, infamously, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted with great force in March 2010, spewing out a vast cloud of ash and debris that caused myriad complications for the airline industry in Europe.

But 3H Travel, the Icelandic travel company behind the tours into the maw of the Thrihnukagigur volcano, insists that its out-on-a-limb expedition is entirely safe.

Iceland volcano

Down in a hole: A cable lift drops visitors some 120 metres down into the belly of the volcano

Thrihnukagigur has been dormant for over 4000 years â€" and is hugely unusual in that its interior is accessible to those with a penchant for dropping into dark corners.

In fact, the rock giant can boast three separate magma chambers (its name translates loosely into English as ‘Three Peaks Crater’).

In a rare geological occurrence, during its last eruption, the magma in one of the chambers solidified on the walls inside, rather than cooling into hard lava on the surface and blocking the ‘entrance’.

Iceland volcano Iceland volcano

Don't look down: Visitors have to hike two miles to the lip of the crater before they can descend into the abyss

‘Thrihnukagigur is unique,’ says Haraldur Sigurdsson, a local volcanologist.

‘It is like somebody came and pulled the plug, and all the magma ran down out of it.’

Tours are available during the warmer months of the Icelandic summer, with four departures on offer every day between June 15 and July 31.

Brave tourists are able to descend 120 metres into this ancient chasm, using a cable lift, passing into the volcano through the four-metre-by-four-metre opening in its summit.

Iceland volcano

Rolling in the deep: The volcano has not erupted for 4000 years

The full magma chamber is equivalent in height to three versions of the Statue of Liberty stacked one on top of the other, with tunnels descending to a depth of 200 metres.

Visitors can also expect to witness a spectacular array of colours. The inside of the chamber could be compared to a cavernous cathedral dome, daubed in many hues.

Those who opt to take the tour need to be relatively fit, as it involves a two-mile, 40-minute trek to the lip of the crater (and a return hike on re-emergence from the chamber).

Tours are priced at 37,000 Icelandic Krona (£180) â€" via www.insidethevolcano.com.

Iceland volcano

Subterranean kaleidoscope: The interior of the volcano could almost be compared to a cathedral dome

Iceland’s propensity for sudden explosions and subterranean tetchiness can be explained by its position on the planet. Although the country appears to be an island, it is actually the highest point of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a long chain of underwater mountains.

Iceland also sits at a point where the North American and Eurasian continental plates meet. The two plates are slowly drifting apart, leading to tearing in the Earth’s crust.

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