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One of Iceland's many volcanoes started rumbling a few weeks ago, and on March 22 it erupted. It is still going on, 20 miles from the capital of Reykjavik, and it has become a popular destination for dedicated hikers: 7-8 hours of hiking to the volcano and back, in Icelandic winter temperatures. There were no trails as of March 22, but now there is a clear trail marked by thousands of human feet, and newly installed trail posts (in case of high snow drifts).
Is anyone else as fascinated as I am? We've had YouTube live coverage running constantly, and every morning we check the high-speed video compilations and new drone footage. It is an absolutely beautiful sight, with snow covered mountains, and a volcano spewing liquid fire. "A song of fire and ice"...The (currently) two volcano vents are changing constantly, creating new material and breaking it down, and the valley below is now completely covered in lava. The location is ideal for observing the process, because poisonous gasses are apparently kept away by the prevailing winds, and the valley doesn't have any human habitation (and animals would have time to get out of the way), so until now nobody has been in danger, nobody has lost property, and hikers and TV watchers can enjoy the spectacle. I have a new appreciation for sites in this country (the US) where you can see old lava flows, and for the whole concept of various types of volcanoes.
Yeah - it's definitely very cool - I've been watching on and off for the last week.
I can't believe how they haven't even closed it off and just regular people are out walking around. Just like those who fall off cliffs trying to get selfies or get attacked by wild animals because they've gone up too close...I'll take the live feed, thank you!
They just posted a video from yesterday where they predict that the two vents will fuse into one volcano, and the eruption may go on for years. They're worried now that the lava may go toward the ocean and cut off the road, but there are still no or few structures that may be threatened. But visitors should be carrying gas masks now.
Bonus: A cute dog, Polly (Border Collie?)!
Update: two more fissures have opened up in the last 2 days and are already becoming volcanic cones in their own right. One of them is releasing a lava flow said to be the longest active flow in the world right now (going downhill along a narrow gorge), predicted to fill up an entire valley. The area is unpopulated, so no structures are threatened, but tourists have been kept away the past few days, because there may be poison gasses, and there more fissures may be opening up.
I'm just amazed that we can sit in our home and watch this event unfold in live streaming. One of the three on-site cameras on YouTube has become our background channel. Every day somebody posts drone footage and time release videos. Great entertainment!
Update: Now only one of the 6-7 vents is active, and it is in a 4 minute cycle, so in between eruptions it looks dead, too--but just wait for the next cycle! It has become a fire geyser! One of the blasts seems to have reached a height of 400 meters/1200 ft! The lava is filling up another valley. It has become increasingly difficult for spectators to get there, because the hiking trails have been eaten up by the lava. One of the live cameras is now surrounded and isolated by lava.
BTW, in my post above I called the time lapse videos "time release." I must have been thinking of time release meds!
I can only imagine how amazing eruptions on Jupiter’s moon Io would look like up close.
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