REYKJAVIK: Despite warnings to stay away from Iceland’s latest volcanic eruption near Reykjavik, a group of curious visitors said they couldn’t resist the lure of lava that is “orange like the sun”.

While volcanologists say the eruption remains “low intensity” for now, initial estimates indicate that its flow is significantly more powerful than the two previous eruptions in 2021 and 2022 on the Reykjanes peninsula.

“When the wind is coming in this direction, it’s not so hot... it’s warm like a campfire,” said Niall Lynch, a 23-year-old Irish guide met in front of the fresh lava flows next to the small peak of Litli Hrutur.

But on the other side of the fissure, the gas released by the eruption makes the area “unbearably hot”.

“It’s much too hot to stay there for any extended amount of time. I mean it’s like 1,000 degrees Celsius,” he added.

The uninhabited area 30 kilometres southwest of the capital had been dormant for eight centuries but has experienced a resurgence of volcanic activity in the last two years.

The eruptive faults reached a total size of around 900 metres overnight, compared with 200 to 300 metres initially, according to the latest update from the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) on Tuesday.

“When you look in the centre of the lava flow, it’s a lot brighter than I was expecting it to be,” Lynch said.

“I was thinking a lot more like the darker colours of blacks and browns, like the rock when it starts to solidify. But right in the centre it’s pure orange like the sun. It’s amazing.”

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2023