Iceland Eruptions

This past March, Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall (fah-grah-dahls-feeyaht-el) volcano erupted for the first time in more than 6,000 years. Luckily, most volcanoes in Iceland are not considered particularly dangerous. That’s because they slowly ooze lava instead of violently exploding. This allowed crowds to gather near the base of Fagradalsfjall and safely view the eruption.

Iceland has many volcanoes because it sits on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This massive underwater mountain chain formed when two tectonic plates—giant slow-moving rock slabs that make up Earth’s crust—began pulling apart. As the plates continue to separate, magma underground rises to fill the space. This molten rock can burst through a crack or vent in Earth’s surface, causing a volcanic eruption.

Enikö Bali, a chemist who researches volcanoes at the University of Iceland, hiked 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) to see the bubbling orange lava flow from Fagradalsfjall. “It’s fantastic,” she says. “You can feel the strength of nature.”