David Junior
East Java has many natural attractions, such as mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. However, have you stopped by the largest acidic lake in the world? Yes, you hear it right, East Java has an acidic lake with its extraordinary blue flame in Mount Ijen.
Mount Ijen, or Ijen Crater, is the only place having blue fame. This mountain has become one of the natural destinations in Indonesia that must be visited even once in a lifetime. If you plan to visit the Ijen Blue Flame, you should know the Ijen Crater’s history first.
This article will explain Ijen Crater’s history which can add to your unforgettable trip there. So, check this out!
An Overview of Ijen Crater's History
Kawah Ijen or Ijen Crater was formed 70 thousand years ago. Previously, Ijen Crater was a caldera of the ancient Mount Ijen that existed 300 thousand years ago.
The ancient Mount Ijen is located in 4 regencies, namely Bondowoso, Banyuwangi, Situbondo, and Jember. It had a height of 3,500 meters above sea level.
Without Ijen Crater, Mount Ijen was just an ancient mountain, until 70 thousand years ago, it erupted tremendously, creating a 15 kilometers-diameter caldera. Besides, small calderas were summoned due to the eruption.
The eruption was that immense until it threw about 466 kilometers of volcanic material, making the magma chamber dry and creating a depression.
After the explosive eruption, many calderas and volcanoes formed. There are 22 volcanoes spread in the caldera rings and inside the dry caldera, namely Mount Merapi, Mount Suket, Mount Jampit, Mount Ringgih, Mount Pawenan, Mount Rante, Wurung Crater, Blau Crater, Kukusan Crater, Ijen Crater, and many more.
However, among those volcanoes, only Ijen Crater is still active until now. It has a height of 2,443 meters above sea level and was pointed as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2016. One of the signs of its activity is the Ijen Blue Flame, which is a blue-ish flame created from high-temperature sulfuric gas.
Then, who introduced this mesmerizing mountain internationally until it became one of the must-visit natural destinations? They were Nicolas Hulot and Katia Kraft, French volcanologists who did research on Ijen Crater in 1971.
This research was under UNESCO and was due to the Indonesian government's request. They studied many volcanoes in Indonesia including Ijen Crater.
Geographical and Political History of Ijen Crater
The Ijen Crater’s history also includes its geographical journey. Located in Banyuwangi and Bondowoso, both regencies fought for the mountain’s ownership.
The Banyuwangi's government claimed the mountain based on the Dutch maps, which were Java Resn Besoeki 1925, Java Madura 1942, Idjen Hooglan 1920, Java Resn Besoeki 1924 Blad XCIII C, Java Resn Besoeki 1924, and Besoeki Afdeling 1895.
On the other hand, the Bondowoso’s government claimed it based on Badan Koordnasi Survei dan Pemetaan’s map in 2000.
Both governments have been fighting for Mount Ijen’s ownership since 2006 because of its tourism and sulfur mine potential. In addition, Ijen Crater is the biggest crater in the world with its turquoise lake, making it popular among tourists.
Besides its intricate ownership issue, Ijen Crater was a hiding place during the Wilis Kingdom vs VOC guerilla war. Even though the Wilis Kingdom was defeated, it proved that Ijen Crater was a great hiding place due to its heavy forest and mountainous land.
Having excellent natural resources, the Dutch saw Ijen Crater as a treasure and started to rent out the lands to Han Chan Pit and Han Ki Ko, two Chinese merchants from Surabaya.
They lured the locals to work at the mountain with free rice, making 40 thousand Madurese workers come and become farmers. But in 1813, a peasant uprising spearheaded by Kiai Mas resulted in the purchase of this rented land.
These isolated regions, which included the Ijen Mountains, had to be reopened as coffee and rubber plantations due to the Dutch adoption of culturstelse politics at the close of the 19th century.
Once more, thousands of laborers from Madura were employed. And so, 'little Madura' was born, becoming the hub of Madurese culture, language, and customs. Small Madurese are still present in several areas of Banyuwangi, Situbondo, Jember, and Bondowoso.
Ijen Crater and Its Sulfur-Rich Area
Ijen Crater’s sulfur research is one of the most famous things to know about Ijen Crater’s history. Ijen Crater is a sulfurous gas emitter that is active and releases hot, combustible gasses.
These burst into a vibrant blue flame as they enter Earth's packed with-oxygen atmosphere. A portion of the gas condenses in the atmosphere, creating rivers of molten sulfur that flare up bright blue.
In addition to that, Ijen Crater is also popular because of its turquoise acidic lake. The blue hue comes from the substantial amount of dispersed metals and the water's severe acidity. With a measured pH below 0.5, it is the largest extremely acidic lake in the world.
Hydrothermal fluids laden with gasses from a hot magma chamber below have entered the system, which is the reason for its acidity.
Besides, Ijen Crater is known for its sulfur deposit and mine. The mineral sulfur comes from solidified sulfur. At the lakeside solfatara, fumaroles discharge a continuous stream of gasses heavy with sulfur. Without oxygen, these heated gasses move underground.
When sulfur vapors come out of a vent and come into contact with atmospheric oxygen, they will catch fire if they are hot enough. Sulfur frequently melts, drops to the ground as a fluid, flows a short distance, and then hardens because the temperature is sufficiently low.
Therefore, you can see many sulfur miners when visiting this area. Miners transport up to 200 pounds of sulfur on one or two daily excursions.
Ijen Blue Fire, a Phenomenon You Should Not Miss
Ijen Blue Fire has become part of Ijen Crater's history. This magnificent blue flame becomes one of the reasons why international and domestic visitors love to go hiking on this mountain. Globally, there are only two blue fires which are Blue Flame in Iceland and Ijen Blue Flame.
Yet, seeing this blue flame requires more effort which you must hike in a freezing temperature since this natural phenomenon only exists at dawn between 2 and 3 am.
However, you do not have to worry missing the best time to see Ijen Blue Fire if you plan your travel with Cheap Bromo! Book your Ijen Blue Fire trip with us now!
