Thousands flock to Iceland’s erupting volcano: hiking in or riding helicopters to get up close to the glowing lava
- The first eruption in the area for 900 years, Mount Fagradalsfjall has been pouring out lava for days
- Only 40km from the capital Reykjavik, the volcano is a 90 minute hike from the nearest road
Thousands of curious onlookers have flocked to an erupting volcano in Iceland to marvel at the hypnotic display of glowing red lava, the bravest of them grilling hot dogs and marshmallows over the hot rock .
The eruption of a fissure near Mount Fagradalsfjall, which began late on Friday, was the first in its volcanic system in about 900 years.
The volcano is located only about 40km (25 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik, and can be reached after a 90-minute hike from the nearest road.
“It’s absolutely breathtaking,” says Ulvar Kari Johannsson, a 21-year-old engineer. “It smells pretty bad. For me what was surprising was the colours of the orange: much, much deeper than what one would expect.”
The incandescent lava bubbles and spurts from a small cone in the Geldingadalur valley, piling up in the basin and slowly turning black as it cools. Some 300,000 cubic metres (10.6 million cubic feet) of lava have poured out of the ground so far, according to experts, although the eruption is considered relatively small and controlled.
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Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano eruption draws thousands
“It’s the heat that really surprised me. When we approached the lava flowing on the ground, the temperature rose by 10 to 15 degrees [Celsius] and our faces flushed,” says Emilie Saint-Mleux, a French exchange student in Iceland who came with two friends.