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Volcano, The Blast Coaster, or simply known as "Volcano", is a launched inverted roller coaster at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia. Designed by both Paramount Parks and Werner Stengel and built by Intamin, Volcano was the world's first inverted roller coaster to feature an LIM (linear induction motor) and is the only one of its kind that completes a full circuit. Since its opening on August 3, 1998, Volcano has been one of the more popular rides in the park. Volcano's train is located inside a giant model of a Volcano and riders go inside a volcano, which makes it a enclosed roller coaster.

History
Volcano was designed around a dormant attraction once known as the Lost World and Smurf Mountain. Declining popularity towards the end of the 1980s led to the removal of the mountain's last two rides in 1995 and cast doubt on the area's future. However on July 22, 1997, Paramount Parks announced plans to revitalize the mountain by making it the future site of the new roller coaster.

In late 1997, Volcano, The Blast Coaster was announced. LIM technology was still somewhat new and the ride had many bugs in the launch system. However, this issue wasn't new with the park, especially with Flight of Fear nearby. Volcano finally had a soft opening on August 3, 1998. The ride officially opened on August 15, 1998 as the park's new star attraction. During the 1998 season, the ride operated at half-capacity, with every other row being loaded. In 1999, the bugs were fixed and Volcano was running at full capacity. In 2005 and 2010, Volcano's structure was given a fresh coat of paint.

Ride experience
Volcano's layout is based on a volcanic eruption. Upon boarding one of three trains at the base of the mountain, riders make a slow turn left out of the station. The train then moves into its first of two launch tracks, which accelerates the train to 70 mi/h. After making a sweeping 200-degree turn behind the mountain, the train enters the second launch tunnel, followed by a vertical section ending in a "roll out" element. The "roll out", similar to a sidewinder, is essentially a vertical section of track followed by a quarter loop to bring the train completely upside down, then a loose half-corkscrew. According to Roller Coaster DataBase, the roll out element is unique to Volcano. The highest point of the roll out is 155 ft above ground level, making it the tallest inversion at Kings Dominion, taller than Dominator's 135 ft vertical loop. After the roll-out, the train makes a sweeping turn around the mountain followed by a heartline roll in midair. The train makes another turnaround and passes through a second heartline roll, which is embedded into the side of the mountain. After another turnaround and a third heartline roll, the train makes a turning, 80 ft drop into the final brake run.

Incidents
An accident occurred on June 23, 2006 injuring two riders and stranding fifteen others for more than two hours. After being launched from the loading station, the train stalled and rolled back slightly. One rider reported hearing a loud pop and getting hit in the chin with flying debris.

Records
Volcano, The Blast Coaster held the record for tallest inversion in the world at 155 ft until GateKeeper opened at Cedar Point in May 2013 with an inversion at 170 ft.