Nature really showed up Iceland this week.
A time-lapse video captured the northern lights above clouds of orange smoke billowing from a volcanic eruption in the south-west of the island nation.
Other videos show lava erupting from several parts of the fissure such as began to erupt on August 22 after a series of earthquakes. It is the volcano’s sixth eruption since December.
MARCO DI MARCO
There has been “greater seismic activity” during this eruption than before, wrote the Icelandic Meteorological Office in an update on Thursday.
“All data indicates that this outbreak is the largest in the area since the period of concern began in autumn 2023,” the weather agency said in an earlier update.
But the lava flow did not threaten a nearby town, according to the IMO’s hazard assessment on Thursday. Some areas may face hazards such as sinkholes and gas pollution, and conditions may change, the agency said.
The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa – one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions – reopened to visitors on August 24 after temporarily closing as a precaution.
Officials advised the public not to get too close to the eruption, but the sight has attracted visiting tourists.
“The color on it was really amazing,” said Sam Wilkinson, a tourist from Australia.
“It felt like we were pulled in by the… fire,” he added.
The aurora borealis was too discovered during a previous outbreak in March.
contributed to this report.