“The Magic Vault” is a black-and-white feature following an expedition with Commander George Dyott in the 1930s. (Dyott was a British pioneer aviator and explorer.) It opens with Dyott finding porters (mark 01:05) for his expedition to Tungurahua, the “Black Giant” volcano in Ecuador. Winding their way up a trail, through deep gorges, and across rivers, Dyott and his team abandon their mules at mark 02:50 and continue their journey on foot as they struggle through fog and rain. With the summit finally visible at mark 03:33, they push forward and dodge jets of steam coming up from surface cracks and approach the brink of the main crater (mark 05:05). The film captures the sound of the wind and the hiss of volcano while Dyott describes the scene before showing its unexpected eruption at mark 06:35. Dramatic music serves as a backdrop to the scenes as the expedition try to reassemble (mark 07:20). Reunited, they prepare to leave as a “sinister glow” emerges from the main crater (mark 08:00) — drawing the team close to the edge where they gaze into a swirling cauldron of molten lava. As they reach their base camp, Dyott explains how they looked back (mark 09:00) to see an awe-inspiring sight — plumes of smoke and lava spewing from the Black Giant.
Tungurahua is an active stratovolcano located in the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador. The volcano gives its name to the province of Tungurahua. Volcanic activity restarted on August 19, 1999, and is ongoing as of 2013, with several major eruptions since then, the last starting on 1 February 2014. Tungurahua’s eruptions are strombolian. They produce andesite and dacite. All historical eruptions originated from the summit crater and have been accompanied by strong explosions, pyroclastic flows and sometimes lava flows. In the last 1,300 years Tungurahua entered every 80 to 100 years into an activity phase of which the major have been the ones of 1773, 1886 and 1916–1918.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
