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In March, a volcano in southwestern Iceland, on the Reykjanes peninsula, began to erupt. Thousands of visitors have since been drawn to the Geldinga valley to watch the lava flows of what geologists say is a “minor” eruption (pictured bottom right). “But for the people of Iceland, it is a rare opportunity to see their volcanic landscape take shape,” says Egill Bjarnason in the Financial Times.
Naturally, volcanoes have to be respected. “Never watch the volcano with the wind in your face,” cautions safety volunteer Logi Sigurdsson, or you risk breathing in the toxic gases that are emitted. The crowds, however, are unperturbed. “A massive tongue of lava spreads like honey over the yellow grass,” says Bjarnason. “Someone throws a large snowball. Puff!”
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