Google Street View now lets you take a virtual walk in the crater of a live volcano

Vanuatu is a remote archipelago of volcanic origin in the South Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Australia. The island nation has black sand beaches, lush green jungles, and nine erupting volcanoes. Google collaborated with explorers Geoff Mackley and Chris Horsley to image the island nation in 360 degrees with a Street View Trekker rig. Users at home can follow the explorers, down to the crater of an active volcano.[caption id="attachment_367250" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Inside the Marum crater. This is the first time Google Street view has put up imagery from below the surface of the Earth.[/caption]The two active volcanoes imaged are called Benbow and Marum. The locals believe that the two are husband and wife, so there are eruptions whenever the two have a fight. The locals then sacrifice animals to appease the spirits of the angry volcanoes. The two volcanoes are on the tropical island of Ambrym, which is home to over 7,000 people who live in the rainforest surrounding the volcanoes. Benbow and Marum are the first locations where Street View has gone into the bowels of the Earth, collecting imagery from below the surface.[caption id="attachment_367249" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Benbow as seen from the rim of the Marum crater.[/caption]From the comfort of your home, you can take a walk down an untouched volcanic beach made up of black sand, take a trek through the thick jungles of the island, explore the Endu village, along with scenes of a craft workshop, a primary school and the locals harvesting coconuts. The Marum crater can be visited, along with a rock shelf and the surrounding volcanic landscape. There is a view of Benbow as seen from Marum.Check out the entire set on the Street View site.