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The river of fire caught on camera by intrepid photographers who climbed erupting Russian volcano
- Brave bloggers capture a volcano going from nought to onehundred
- Photographed angry volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula, east Russia
- Plosky Tolbachik volcano now active after 36 years dormant
By Sara Malm
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As the powerful volcano grumbles beneath their feet, one brave couple refused to let their fear take over and captured these beautiful pictures of lava breaking through the surface.
The eruption at the Plosky Tolbachik volcano on Kamchatka Peninsula, east Russia, saw a river of fiery lava flow down the mountain, underneath a bright full moon.
These stunning pictures of the volcano were taken by daredevil bloggers Liudmila and Andrey.
Kingdom of lava: The volcano spills over in a river of molten rock underneath a bright full moon
Calm seas: The lava river flows down the mountain on Kamchatka Peninsula, far-east Russia
Up close: The lava river sizzles and heats up the cold air over the volcano as the photographers overcome their fears and stand on its brink
The travelling pair were visiting the site with a group of volcanologist and what started out as a quiet lava flow, soon turned into an inferno.
'We had been standing up quietly, sipping vodka. Lava was flowing past calmly,’ Andrey told Siberian Times.
‘At some point I left to pick up my camera that was lying on the edge of the lava crater. I was just on time to see that it is filling with lava, while the lava stream in the canyon has almost dried out'.
Andrey explained his concern to the team who told him not to worry, but they were soon forced to eat their own words.
Watching moon: White-hot lava flows out of a crack in the side of the volcano, which has been active since November last year
On fire: The Plosky Tobalchik volcano has been active for nearly five months after it lay dormant for 36 years
Stunning: Despite the hot temperatures and the danger of the volcano Liudmila and Andrey manages to capture calm in their snaps
On the edge: One of the photographers standing watching the volcanic fields below
Before the storm: The tranquil surrounding landscape shifts in pastel tones in contrast to the fiery red and orange lava waiting to erupt underneath the black surface
'At some point the crater got completely filled - when the lava with a sound of porridge leaking out of the pan started to flow out.’
The experts were still making fun of the pair for being scared, Andrey explains, but shortly afterwards gas erupted from the centre of the crate – a warning that lava was soon to come.
The pair describe how even the experts began to panic and the group were forced to escape to safety – with the pictures to prove it.
Eruption: The initial calm is definitely over as the crater explodes in fire and smoke as the volcano awakens
She's awake: Hot gas erupts from the crater of the Plosky Tolbachik volcano in Russia
No rest for the wicked: After three-and-a-half decades of sleep, Plosky Tobalchik has some catching up to do
Sorry to int-erupt: The lava has split the mountain in two, digging its way through the rock as it gradually melts
Safe distance: The photographers and the volcanologists get themselves to a calmer part of the mountain after the volcano's fiery threats
The Plosky Tolbachik volcano on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula burst into activity on November 27� last year after laying dormant for 36 years.
The peninsula has a high density of volcanoes and associated volcanic phenomena, with 19 active volcanoes being included in the six UNESCO World Heritage List sites in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka group, most of them on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The highest volcano is Klyuchevskaya Sopka (15,584 ft), the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere.