A picture of an Ethiopian volcano allegedly emitting blue lava has been going viral ever since it was first shared by Twitter user, @VidsOfHeaven, on August 21, 2023. Since then, the post has been viewed by more than 188,000 people.
However, upon reverse searching the image on Google, many similar images came up, with statements about how the blue color is due to the combustion of sulphuric gas. Furthermore, Snopes reported that the image that was being shared was of a hydrothermal site and not a volcano.
For the uninitiated, hydrothermal sites look and function like volcanoes, but this is primarily due to heated underground water.
Expand Tweet
A Google search also revealed that the images being circulated were taken by a French photographer, Olivier Grunewald. Search results also proved that the images were not recent, and were taken way back in 2014.
Snopes reported that as per Peter Kelly, who works as a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Service Volcano Emissions Project, the "blue flames" are the result of a chemical reaction.
"The blue flames result from the burning of sulfur vapor associated with the native sulfur deposits formed from the reaction of H2S [hydrogen sulfide] and SO2-rich [sulfur dioxide] gases there," Kelly said.
Hence, the claims being made about blue lava erupting from the alleged volcano are not true.
Social media has been full of images of...
You are reading the second issue of the Disinformation Monitor. It is published on a monthly basis and provides an overview of developments on the disinformation scenes on NATO’s eastern frontier....