When a volcano erupts it makes a lot
of igneous rocks like this, and it makes the news.
People are fascinated by the awesome power of nature,
but a recent video shows we might
not be the only intelligent life interested in watching.
March 2021, the Fagradalsfjall Volcano in Iceland
ends a nearly 900-year dormancy with an explosive blast.
It's beautiful, but what's really eye catching is this.
A live feed camera setup to observe the eruption captures
what appears to be two mysterious blue orbs hovering
in the plume of smoke above the lava.
Both seem unfazed by the heat and toxic gases.
And when we zoom into one, we can see just how blue it is.
There are roughly 50 volcanic eruptions going on at any time
around the world, and many include strange lights
and flying objects like these at Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica
and this incident in Puebla Mexico near the volcano
called Popocatépetl.
In fact, sightings near volcanoes are so common,
filmmaker Darcy Weir produced a documentary called Volcanic UFO
Mysteries about the phenomenon.
DARCY WEIR: We have so much documented evidence of UFOs
around the volcanoes.
It's possible that they may be energy events
that could be offering a fueling supply
to some of the UFO craft.
NARRATOR: Just one volcano can produce more power
than the combined nuclear arsenals of the United States,
China, and Russia, so UFOs could use the heat from the lava
to store and produce energy.
Or another theory-- volcanoes provide
access to a network of underground alien bases
all over the world.
Some people believe, well, if you build a base in a place
that's very dangerous for people to visit,
mankind that is, well, that's a perfect defense and no-go area.
This goes back at least as far as 1947.
Aviator Kenneth Arnold was flying over Mount Rainier,
a dormant straddle volcano, and he claimed he
saw a string of flying saucers.
He's credited with coining that term.
So why are UFOs attracted to volcanoes?
And what exactly are we seeing in this video?
Let's ask our experts.
Let's consider the earthly explanations.
First, could these be drones trying to record the eruption?
TIM MCMILLAN: Geologists studying volcanic eruptions
will use drones that remotely transmit video
back for scientific reasons.
NARRATOR: The temperature of lava spewing
from a volcanic vent can reach 2,200
degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt most earthly metals.
For a drone, that would be a short one-way trip.
But these orbs were visible for at least
30 minutes, far longer than drones can take the heat.
And when we look at the volcano in daylight,
a whole new set of theories arises.
It's surrounded by hills so maybe the orbs aren't actually
in the air, they're on hillsides on the far side of the volcano.
Could they be tourists or scientists
with flashlights standing nearby to study the lava flow?
MARC D'ANTONIO: When the temperature around you
could approach 500 degrees just in the air around you
where a piece of paper that you put down on the ground
will instantly light up on fire and flash the flame
immediately-- it's very hot.
It's not a place for humans.
They could not be flashlights in my view.
NARRATOR: So maybe the answer is that the orbs
spewed from the volcano itself and landed
on the surrounding hills.
D'Antonio notes their strange color.
MARC D'ANTONIO: You can have what
has been termed as blue lava.
It's actually sulfur that's burning.
And burning sulfur burns blue.
NARRATOR: Also known by the Indonesian term
"Api Biru," blue lava usually burns along the ground and not
in the air, and it's not often seen in Iceland.
Looking close, the stationary orbs
do appear to be flatter on the bottom,
suggesting they may actually be sitting on a surrounding slope.
It's a very rare phenomenon, but it does happen.
And I think that we're actually witnessing
blue lava here as well.
I think that it's fascinating.
So we know blue lava is rare in Iceland,
but that's going to be our verdict, at least for now.
Still, that doesn't explain all those UFO
sightings around volcanoes the world over.
Darcy Weir continues to investigate the subject,
and we will too.