Here are some images and videos of the Fagradalsfjall Volcano in Iceland, which erupted on March 19 and has been putting on a spectacular show for viewers and scientists.
We begin with this incredible drone-based FPV video of the volcanic eruption in Iceland taken by Bjorn Steinbekk -
Some additional footage by Bjorn Steinbekk -
en.wikipedia.org/...
The Fagradalsfjall volcano is located in southwestern Iceland and is about 32 km from the capital city of Reykjavik and about 10 km from the town of Grindavik. It is about 4 km from the road south of it. Fagradalsfjall sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, straddling the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates.
Eruptions started on March 19, after a swarm of more than 22,000 earthquakes hit the area starting in late February. The volcano has been dormant for 6,000 years and the Reykjanes Peninsula hasn’t experienced a volcano eruption in nearly 800 years. The eruption has been named Geldingadalsgos, after the name of the valley Geldingadalir.
Compared to recent volcano eruptions in other parts of the world, this is a relatively small eruption, in an area mostly uninhabited and has not caused any major damage to surrounding areas. There is no major ash fall, unlike recent volcano eruptions in Asia. It however has put on quite a show with lava fountains and lava flows.
Here is an early pic from a nearby town (probably Grindavik), posted by the Prime Minister of Iceland -
Check our some more spectacular images in this Buzzfeed article —
Some more footage of the fiery drama being played out at the mountain top -
A mesmerizing look from the air -
Unreal night-time display -
Volcano art!
The artistic photo below was taken by Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, the Minister of Justice of Iceland.
Tourists and scientists have been able to get quite close to the volcano.
Dangerous or adventurous?
An incredible scene … with modern-day volcano worshipers lovers? These folks must have trekked across 3 km of rough terrain to get to this spot.
A picture of the trek to Fagradalsfjall at approximately the half-way point.
What do scientists have for lunch while researching volcanoes up close? Why, they have volcano-grilled Icelandic sausages (pylsur) with lava-toasted buns!
Let’s take it all in one more time —
Some info. about Iceland from en.wikipedia.org/… -
- Iceland has a population of 356,991 and an area of 103,000 sq. km.
- Iceland is a geologically young land, sitting on top of the Iceland hotspot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
- The island has around 30 active volcanic systems
- Glaciers cover about 11% of Iceland
- The name Fagradalsfjall is a compound of the Icelandic words fagur ("beautiful"), dalur ("valley") and fjall ("mountain").
- Iceland runs almost completely on renewable energy from sources such as geothermal and hydroelectricity. Most residents have access to inexpensive hot water, heating, and electricity.
- Egalitarianism is highly valued among the people of Iceland, with income inequality being among the lowest in the world. As in other Nordic countries, equality between the sexes is very high; Iceland is consistently ranked among the top three countries in the world for women to live in.
- In the latest World Happiness Report, Iceland ranks #2, just behind Finland.
- Iceland maintains a Nordic social welfare system that provides universal health care and tertiary education for its citizens. Iceland ranks 11th in health care expenditures as a percentage of GDP, much higher than most industrialized nations.
- Despite a couple of COVID-19 waves in 2020 that hit the island population, Iceland’s COVID-19 case and death numbers are quite low; it has 17,848 cases per million and 85 deaths per million; by comparison, the US has 92,165 cases per million and 1,675 deaths per million.
- Iceland is also home to mountains, valleys, waterfalls, lakes, geysers, ice, glaciers and the Northern lights.
The volcano is slowing down in intensity, but harmful SO2 emissions remain a threat in the immediate vicinity.
For those of us who can’t get enough, we can watch the fiery drama live, without the sulfurous smell, right from our living rooms 😄
Yes, nature can be beautiful and it can also be fierce and devastating. We have to respect it, protect it and cherish its gifts. Also, it helps to have a science-based and reality-based society, that empowers women and minorities.
Have you been to Iceland? What are your memories of this incredible land and its people? Have you ever hiked up a volcano (I did once) or been near an active one?