On The Volcanoes Of The World

The volcanologist Guy de Saint-Cyr finds a group of travelers on the islands of Hawaii. This archipelago lost in the middle of the Pacific is only the southern end of a large volcanic chain more than 6,000 kilometers long. Big Island, the latest addition to the archipelago's islands, is made up of more than 6,000 meters of lava. And it is home to five of the most active volcanoes on the planet. Meet at the edge of the only lava lake in the archipelago…

Guided by Guy de Saint-Cyr, hikers continue their exploration of the Kilauea volcano by following the path of the lava on its sides. Guy de Saint-Cyr knows lava tubes well. He discovered the entrance to one of them, the Kazamura, considered the largest lava cavity in the world: 160 square kilometres of galleries crossed by uninterrupted flows of lava.

After Hawaii, the hikers and their guide go to Vanuatu. This archipelago located between Australia and the Fiji Islands is home to some of the most virulent explosive volcanoes on the planet. First stop: the island of Mota Lava, whose inhabitants live without electricity and drink rainwater.

Ambae Island is one of the 80 islands that make up the Vanuatu archipelago. It is the emerged part of the largest of the active volcanoes of the archipelago, the Lombenben. It is one of the rare volcanoes whose craters contain acidic and hot lakes. This site is considered inaccessible, but Guy de Saint-Cyr and his group are determined to attempt the ascent...

Magical and wild, the island of Tanna is formed by the deposits of a large volcano, extinct for 100,000 years. Yasur, located in the southeastern part, is the only active cone on the island. Near the crater, Guy de Saint-Cyr remains attentive to the slightest variations in the intensity of the explosions. Meanwhile, the group of hikers observe the activity of this impressive volcano before descending along an ash ridge...

Guy de Saint-Cyr takes his troop of enthusiasts to the tip of the Horn of Africa, a place of extreme geological intensity at the intersection of three continental plates. This journey takes them to Lake Abhé: this dry cavity that looks like of a lunar landscape served as a setting for the film Planet of the Apes...

After two nights spent in the splendid scenery of Erta Alé, our travellers travel through the caldera of this volcano and observe its two crater wells. This volcanic range is located in one of the hottest deserts in the world, formed by the Danakils depression and populated by the Afar tribe.

Arriving at the village, the group just washes up, as water is rare. Then he goes to Dallol, a very special site and one of the most difficult to access in the world: a salt dome raised by volcanic forces. With the help of Guy de Saint-Cyr, Fanny collects pink salt crystals. The volcanologist recommends caution to his companions, because the terrain is impregnated with acid.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the group is tackling Nyiragongo, home to the largest lava lake in the world. Guy de Saint-Cyr has surrounded himself with the best guides: approaching such a site is perilous, because the ground is extremely fragile and can give way at any moment.

Named a sacred mountain by the Masai, Ol Doinyo Lengaï is located in Tanzania. After more than four months of inactivity, this young volcano - it is only 370,000 years old! - woke up at the right time for our explorers. It has the particularity of pouring out natrocarbonatites, multicolored lavas - first black and very fluid, then red and finally snow white after hydration. A fabulous spectacle.

The Hawaiian Islands make up the southern tip of a 6,000-km-long volcanic chain; geologist Guy de Saint Cyr explores a lava lake.

Active volcanoes on the island nation of Vanuatu include Mount Garet and Mount Yasur.

Three tectonic plates intersect in the Horn of Africa; Erta Ale in Ethiopia houses one of the world's few lava lakes; Dallol's summit lies below sea level.

The city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rests at the foot of the active Nyiragongo volcano.