Idea # 298 – Observe eruption of Piton de la Fournaise in Reunion Island
The peak of the Furnace or “Fournaise” in French, is one of the most active volcanoes of the world. It is situated on the Reunion Island, in Indian Ocean. It belongs to the oriental side of the massif of the Peak of the Fournaise, and peaks as height as 2 632 meters ; this volcanic massif occupies about 40 % of the surface of the island. The volcano is known for the frequency of these new eruptions. It occupies the first world rank, with, on average, an eruption every nine months. By the average volume of emitted lava, estimated at 0,32 m3/, it is approximately ten times less productive than Kilauea, but is comparable in Etna. Since the installation in 1979 of the vulcanological monitoring observatory, the Furnace is one of the volcanoes the most watched by the world. The massif of the Peak of the Furnace and its enclosure is a part of the heart of the National park and the site of ” Peaks, the cirques and the ramparts ” registered on the List of the world heritage of UNESCO since 2010. The access is relatively easy, in particular by the road of the Volcano or by the road of Lavas ; sometimes it allows the public to assist the show of the projections and lava flows. After a first eruption in 2014, the Peak of the Furnace woke up on Wednesday, February 04th, 2015 at 11 am. The lava sprang from a crack about 200m of length, opened on the south side, in the crater Bory. The opportunity to see the outburst of bowels of the Earth. Let’s go, to see fire from the earth !
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Piton de la Fournaise, island of Réunion, France
Larger Map
