PHOTO GALLERY: Birth And Death Of Meradalir

An eruption started in the valley called Meradalir on the Reykjanes Peninsula on the afternoon of August 3. Photographers, tourists, scientists, and the ever-present search and rescue volunteers rushed to the area, which is just downhill from last year’s Geldingadalir eruption. Starting as a fissure that released a wall of flame, this eruption morphed into a lava fountain that drew thousands of visitors every day for its two-and-a-half-week life. While this eruption appears to be over for now, researchers believe this is just the beginning of the potentially years-long series of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula.