The interior of the Thrihnukagigur is an explosion of colors and suggestions. And you can visit it too because this is the only volcano in the world you can enter into.
It is not science fiction, but a reality probably reserved only for the bravest even if experts confirm there is nothing dangerous. In Iceland, you can go inside a volcano and take a tour of its magma chamber. To experience this crazy feat firsthand, we must go south of Reykjavik, in front of the Thrihnukagigur volcano, the only one in the world that offers this adrenaline-pumping opportunity.
Like the protagonists of Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, so can we be, choosing to go inside a still active volcano. But rest assured, because experts confirm that his rest is reassuring. In fact, the Thrihnukagigur volcano has been dormant for over 4000 years. If this makes you feel more comfortable, then, the time has come to discover the bowels of the volcano and go deeper.
Are you ready to go?
The tours, active since 2012, take all adventurers inside the crater through a large lift. You go down into a cavity that is more than 100 meters deep, and it takes about 6 minutes to touch the ground.
Once inside the volcano, the surprise is incredible. A series of changing colors give almost science fiction visions. In reality, these are phenomena due to all the components that are part of the magma chamber. Yellow, for example, indicates the points rich in sulfuric gas, while cobalt blue characterizes the rocks that have detached from the walls.
The other colors, which create a prismatic and suggestive effect, are due to the presence of different microorganisms that populate the volcano. It is an extraordinary ecosystem and rather unknown to the scientific community, given that the Thrihnukagigur volcano is the only one in the world that has allowed us to get so close to the geological structure.
But why, in this Icelandic volcano, is it possible to live this experience?
The reason is soon said, even if still not perfectly clear to scientists. The Thrihnukagigur magma chamber, which corresponds to the heart of the volcano, is free of magma. According to experts, the magmatic liquid may have withdrawn into the depths of the earth or solidified in the walls. The fact remains that the absence of this allows travelers from all over the world to experience one of the most incredible experiences ever.
