Indonesia's Hellish Ijen Sulfur Mine

These sulfur miners are tough! The biting, poisonous clouds are not steam, but are made up of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide gases. And - as I mentioned in the video - these gases are so concentrated that they can eventually dissolve the miner’s teeth! Regardless, they are often wearing little more than a scarf wrapped around their face, thin clothes and sandals (As an interesting “oh by the way” regarding clothing, the smell of the sulfur gases is extremely persistent and doesn't wash out of your clothes in a regular washing machine).

Then, of course, there is the backbreaking work of hauling the blocks of sulfur, often weighing more than the miners do, up that “trail” to the top of the crater. It is hardly a “trail” in the literal sense either. Really, it is just a route. Sections frequently skirt crumbly edges and thread their way through rocky drop-offs. Perhaps not surprisingly many of the miners have severe back problems and bodies covered in scars and burn marks.

As I stated in the video, the lake of sulfuric acid is the largest in the world. It is and more than 2,300 feet in diameter and more than 650 feet deep! That’s a lot of acid… The acid is quite potent as well. People have been killed by accidentally falling into the lake.

Aside from all of the above, it also has to be kept in mind that Ijen is still an active volcano and, as such, can become MORE active at any time. The last major eruption was in 1817, but explosions and eruptions of ash and gases are regular occurrences and frequently kill miners. Bizarre events such as the lake changing color overnight are commonplace as well.

The primary fear in the local community is that a larger eruption could blow out the lake (I mean that literally). The eruption in 1817 resulted in the entire lake being suddenly ejected into the surrounding countryside, inundating the land with its acid contents (with predictably fatal results for the villagers and flora and fauna residing there). It could happen again at any time.

If you’re thinking it might be preferable to work at the nearby sulfur refinery in Licin, well, it is similarly hellish to the mining.

It is not an explore of an abandoned mine, but I thought that you, my viewers, would find it interesting nevertheless…

Видео Indonesia's Hellish Ijen Sulfur Mine канала TVR Exploring