Exploration into Thrihnukagigur Volcano in Iceland
From: Vignir Gudjonsson <vignir@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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Dear All.
All of those visiting Iceland next summer will have the opportunity to explore a volcano on the inside. The dormant Thrihnukagigur volcano (located 30 km from the capital Reykjavik) is the only place on earth where a magma chamber is accessible and currently safe to explore.
An open elevator system will be used in the operation, transporting participants up and down the chamber in a cable lift. Participants will descend 120m/380ft through the top crater and down to the ground bottom of the magma chamber.
Thrihnukagigur volcano last erupted over 4000 years ago and the magma chamber has remained intact. The magma in the chamber has disappeared and it’s believed that it solidified on the walls or quite simply went back to the depths of the earth.
National Geographic recently made a documentary about the volcano, available here:
Future plans are to make the phenomenon accessible to the public and to create one of the most unique tourist attractions in the world. Visitors would then walk from the slopes of the Thrihnukagigur volcano through a ground tunnel to a viewing platform inside the crater from where the enormous size and amazing colors of the chamber could be enjoyed. An environmental impact assessment is currently being conducted and license applications are in process. The operation of this tour is limited to a period of 6-8 weeks in the summer of 2012, and a part of the ongoing environmental-, geological,- and marketing research on the volcano.
More information is available at the official webpage, www.insidethevolcano.com.
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