Context:
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, which provides optical images of Earth’s surface, recently captured stunning images of Kawah Ijen Crater Lake.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- Kawah Ijen
- Copernicus Sentinel-2 Mission
Kawah Ijen:
- Location: Kawah Ijen is a volcanic crater lake located in East Java, Indonesia. It is situated within the larger Ijen volcano complex, which includes several other craters.
- Main Attraction: The primary attraction of Kawah Ijen is its stunning turquoise-colored crater lake. This vibrant color is a result of the high concentration of dissolved sulfuric acid and other minerals.
- Unique Features: Notably, the lake is the largest highly acidic crater lake globally and has been included in UNESCO’s World Biosphere Reserves.
- Volcanic Activity: The Ijen volcano complex, including Kawah Ijen, is still an active volcanic area. It periodically releases sulfur gases, which can be ignited, producing impressive blue flames, often referred to as “blue fire,” especially visible at night.
- Sulfur Mining: The region surrounding Kawah Ijen is known for traditional sulfur mining, where laborers extract sulfur from the volcano’s surface.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 Mission:
- The mention of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 Mission is not directly related to Kawah Ijen but provides additional information.
- This mission is a European wide-swath, high-resolution, multi-spectral imaging initiative aimed at monitoring changes in Earth’s land surface conditions.
- It consists of two polar-orbiting satellites in the same sun-synchronous orbit, contributing to the monitoring of Earth’s surface changes.
-Source: The Hindu
