Visiting Iceland’s volcanic eruption
KVRR's Adam Ladwig visited Iceland and got to see the lava flow at their erupting volcano up close
If you noticed I was gone last week, that’s because I went to Iceland. My number one goal there was to see the this. The Fagradalsfjall volcano has been erupting for six months as of Sunday. It’s the longest eruption this century in Iceland according to Iceland Monitor. Iceland is a hotbed of volcanic activity. The country sits where two tectonic plates meet, so it’s easy for magma to burst through into the open. I got to see the jaw dropping lava flows in person. It flowed down the mountain as fast as a river, adding to the massive canyon of freshly hardened new volcanic rock.
I had to hike up multiple mountains to get to the top viewing spot, and get as close as I could to the smoldering main vent. That is a sight I will never, ever forget. It’s not every day you get the chance to see an erupting volcano safely in person.
Then I headed down to the edge of the lava fields. You can see the rock folded over itself. It’s amazing to consider that this hard rock was liquid just a few months ago.
But then it’s easy to remember that when you see steam literally shooting out of cracks in the rock.
There’s still incredible heat underneath the surface, which is why you should never walk on fresh lava fields. You don’t know how thick the rock actually is. It’s like walking on frozen lakes in the winter. One weak spot and you could be done for. A lot of people were ignoring that advice though.
Now, this really shows how powerful and unpredictable volcanoes can be. There are three main paths to see the eruptions there from different angles.
As we got to the path we wanted to take, they were closing it down. Lava had overtaken it. Rescue crews had to go get people who were cut off by the lava.
We had to take a different path. The view wasn’t as close, but it was still magnificent, and a lot safer.
I got to explore a lot more than just the volcano in Iceland. The natural beauty on display there is unlike anywhere else on earth. So I’ll be sharing a lot more with you over the next few days and weeks. So I hope you like my vacation photos!
