Sigurður þór Helgason, owner of DJI Reykjavik, has discovered a beautiful “skylight” in the lava at the eruption site.
Sigurður stated to Morgunblaðið, that “I witnessed this when I went with some scientists, Ármann Höskuldsson and Helgi Kristín Tómasdóttir, with the Coast Guard’s helicopter up a small hill, which had previously been a good mountain right by the crater […] So I take my drone to explore this and fly there and see this incredible beauty.”
Ármann Höskuldsson, a volcanologist at Háskóli Íslands, said to Morgunblaðið, “[w]hen the lava flows under the shell, there are usually such volcanic eruptions that you don’t see anything and every now and then the roof breaks and you get these […] We have known that the bulk of the lava flow in the crater passes through lava tunnels in the lava itself, which is why we do not always see it on the surface.”
As beautiful as they may be, we hope it goes without saying that poking around the lava field for tunnels and caverns may be a bad idea.
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.
Also you can get regular news from Iceland—including the latest notifications on eruptions, as soon as they happen—by signing up to our newsletter.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!