Peer Into the Heart of an Active Volcano with Google Street View

March 19, 2017 5:00 am
(Google)
(Google)
(Google)
Marum crater, Vanuatu. (Google)

 

Google Street View has let people explore the world from a first-person perspective without leaving their desk for years, but now it’s going where most wouldn’t dare to—the center of an active volcano.

The Street View experience shares a breathtaking look from the edge of a lava lake on Ambrym, as part of its exploration of nearby village Endu in Vanuatu, a nation composed of 80 islands in the Pacific Ocean. According to Popular Mechanics, the most notable feature on Ambrym is a caldera that’s home to two volcanoes, Marum and Benbow.

(Google)
(Google)
(Google)
(Google)

 

A brave Street View Trekker, with the 360° camera mounted on a backpack, made the “arduous and technically challenging descent” into Marum Crater, Google said. In addition to living the perilous journey without the danger, there’s also a glimpse at the lifestyle of locals who live in thatched huts around the volcano.

(Google)
(Google)

 

The intrepid mission is similar to an initiative by the tech company called Google Maps Treks, which takes the POV experience off road and into rugged terrain, like Gombe National Park and Mount Everest.

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