Volcanic Lake Turns Bright Red

Volcano's lake turns bright red

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A lake atop a rumbling volcano on the South Pacific island of Ambae has changed color from blue to bright red, puzzling scientists.

Mount Manaro, one of four active volcanos on the island nation of Vanuatu, has been showing signs of erupting for only the second time in 122 years.

“We are still ... trying to understand this change of color in the lake from blue to red,” Geology and Mines Department director Esline Garae said by telephone Monday from Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila.

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I am looking forward to updates concerning this development. I am no chemist, so I am at a complete loss to understand what initiated this change.

Here is a photo of the lake as it used to appear - Lake Vui

Personally, I would get the hell out of Dodge.

[edit on 5/29/2006 by Bibliophile]

I can't seem to find much info on this subject either. I am not a chemist either, though could this have something do with acid levels? I've read before that lakes can turn to pure acid almost, along with volcanic activity. I'm trying to find pictures or video of this to get a better look.

I am looking as well and will post ASAP if I find anything.

I found the following after Googling "Lake Vui" -

Source Link - Visiting Ambae's Crater Lakes

The summit of Ambae is a large area with three volcanic crater lakes on top. Lake Manaro Ngoru ('ngoru' means dry) can flood during cyclones but this crater is generally dry. Lake Vui ('vui' means poison) is large, turquoise-blue and acidic. Lake Manaro Lakua ('lakua' means big, also called Manaro Gesa, 'gesa' means green) is the largest lake. You might see some gas bubbling from Lake Vui and theres a vent beside Manaro Lakua but these lakes are quiet most of the time. Ambae is a potentially dangerous volcano because it has no pressure relief and there is tons of carbon dioxide gas underneath the lakes.

[edit on 5/29/2006 by Bibliophile]

I'm searching for a picture, but along the way I did find this. A picture of a lake during volcanic activity in Kamchatka, Russia.

External Link

Still looking though. This may give as an idea of the color change though.

*Edit - Judging by what I am seeing, this doesn't appear to be too rare.

External Link

[edit on 5/29/06 by niteboy82]

Originally posted by niteboy82

Still looking though. This may give as an idea of the color change though.

*Edit - Judging by what I am seeing, this doesn't appear to be too rare.

It may not be rare but it would still scare the excrement out of me. This lake is 2.1 miles long. That seems to indicate an awful lot of chemical activity.

Originally posted by Bibliophile
It may not be rare but it would still scare the excrement out of me. This lake is 2.1 miles long. That seems to indicate an awful lot of chemical activity.

What I am trying to figure out is the time period that this usually happens in. If this is like a thousand year process of chemical change, then I find such a rapid change very alarming. I don't really know what goes behind this occurence. I know one thing, I wouldn't go swimming in it. Too many memories of that movie... Dante's Peak. Ish.

Still looking to find out more info on this.

Based on your signature, you probably had something to do with it . . .

Here is pretty good link showing a comparison

www.ulb.ac.be...

very freaky indeed could it not have to do with the sulpher etc from the volcano?

looks cool though

I hope it's not a similar situation as occured in Cameroon.

1700 people were suffocated by lake turnover, when the carbon dioxide was released, by a landslide, after building up over hundreds of years. It was like a giant soda bottle being opened.

theres someinfo here, as well as a photo.

volcano.und.edu...