Workers Mine Sulfur From Mt Kawah Ijen

BANYUWANGI, EAST JAVA - DECEMBER 15: Miners carry sulfur on the Kawah Ijen volcano complex on December 15, 2011 in Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. The Ijen crater rises to 2,386m, with a depth of over 175m, making it one of the world's largest craters. Sulphur mining is a major industry in the region, made possible by an active vent at the edge of a lake, but the work is not without risks. The acidity of the water in the crater is high enough to dissolve clothing and cause breathing problems. Miners carry the solidified yellow sulphur blocks from the crater floor to the rim for as many hours a day as they can tolerate, paid by the kilogram of sulphur they extract. A worker, depending on his strength and stamina, can carry on average 3 baskets of 70-80kg per day. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Getty Images)