This is the mud in one spot in the crater, part of a larger mud pool that is constantly in motion, and the whole crater of mud is changing shape almost daily. We saw mud pools at Orakei Korako and in Rotorua but because of the drought they were pretty dry. Here on Whakaari not only is there plenty of rain, but steam feeds these pools from below.
White Island is a place to teach you that the rocks themselves are alive, that all of the environment is dynamic, and that the equilibrium of terra firma is pretty fragile. The colours, smells and shapes here are all in flux, and the great majority of them are chemical, created by minerals and water, rather than the algae and other life-forms that visibly push change in most places.