Faster, Must Go Faster: The Volcano Version

In 1914, the Sakurajima volcano in Kyushu, Japan, erupted and its lava flowed for months until it filled the narrow straits and connected the volcano island and the mainland, turning it into a peninsula.

That volcano eruption was captured on film in the above photograph by the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun. The photo showed a group of men on a boat expedition to the island frantically trying to sail away as fast as they could from the billowing column of ash, smoke, and probably lava.

The photo is the first of many fascinating photos of volcano eruptions as curated by National Geographic.

If you like that one, here's a more modern one in the "escape from volcano" genre. This time, it's the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo in the northern Philippines. It's taken by photographer Alberto Garcia from the back of his van. "All of us survived, thank God," he said.

Take a look at the complete photo series over at National Geographic.