In nearly every culture volcanoes have always been magical mysterious places and the seat of the gods. However, they are also a vital area of research for scientists, and not just the volcanoes on Earth but also those in the solar system. With the new findings about supervolcanoes on Mars and extinct craters on the moon, researchers are hoping to learn more about the history and creation of our own solar system and Earth. Many worlds in the solar system show traces of extinct volcanic activity, including the Earth’s moon and Mars, which is home to the largest volcano in the solar system. The most active volcanic world in the solar system is the Jupiter moon Io. Cryovolcanism or ice volcano activity has been observed on the Saturn moon Enceladus and the Neptune moon Triton. Volcanic eruptions also release vast amounts of pure sulfur. Sulfur is a key element in the makeup of our universe: our planet consists in total of 2.92% of sulfur; Mars, whose core is probably composed of a mixture of iron and sulfur, holds more sulfur than Earth. And the other terrestrial planets Mercury and Venus also contain huge amounts of sulfur. Io, the innermost moon of the planet Jupiter, has large lakes of liquid sulfur, while the atmosphere of our neighboring planet Venus supports an opaque cloud layer made of sulfuric acid. Sulfur is also a key element in the human body and an essential component in the genesis of life.

The work “volcanic resublimation“ visualizes the creation of sulfur through volcanic activity. The motif of the work was taken in the bizarre crater landscape of the Whakaari volcano, New Zealand’s only active volcanic island. Sulfurous gasses emerge hissing from fumaroles everywhere, rising from the innermost depths of our Earth to crystallize on the surface. This shows why the surface of the crater is covered with an ejected layer of pure sulfur glowing bright yellow. Yet the crater is only the visible peak of a huge underwater mountain that extends 1,600m down to the seabed. The volcanic cone and its imposing walls of sulfur are over two million years old. Due to the complex composition of the artwork it seems to be weightless and floating through space – but at the same time it is enormously powerful and energetic.