Press photographer Vilhelm Gunnarsson has captured some of the most jaw-dropping photos of a volcanic eruption in Iceland that we’ve seen in quite some time. The photos, which he shared on his Instagram and with PetaPixel, show a river of lava obliterating parts of Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon.
Luckily, the entire Blue Lagoon wasn’t destroyed by the eruption. Defensive walls had already been erected around much of the location. However, two small gaps had been left open. One of the photographs shared with PetaPixel shows heavy machinery trying to close those gaps quickly to keep the Blue Lagoon from being overwhelmed by the river of lava.
According to reports, the eruption that created the lava flows shown overrunning much of the Blue Lagoon in photos, began late into the night on Wednesday, November 20. The eruption started with the opening of a three-kilometer-long fissure in the Sundhnúkur crater that quickly began spewing lava from it.
Gunnarsson told PetaPixel that the area has seen seven eruptions since December of 2023. He’s covered them all in some fashion, even sharing photos and videos of them on his Instagram. While the local residents and authorities in the area have become good at handling eruptions, there’s only so much you can do to stop molten rock from overrunning everything.
These new photos of lava overrunning parts of the Blue Lagoon are yet another stark reminder of just how dangerous nature can be when it gets riled up. These volcanic eruptions can sometimes last for days, or even months. We’ve even seen volcanic eruptions disrupt space satellites in the past because of how violent they were.
If you wanted a reminder of how beautiful and deadly nature can be, these stunning photos of lava surrounding the Blue Lagoon are sure to stick with you for days to come. I know I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon.
