Iceland's youngest volcano erupts with tornado

The tornado swirling above the newly formed Litli-Hrutur volcano is the result of meteorological and geological factors.

Iceland's youngest volcano erupts with tornado

A tornado spins around the Litli-Hrutur volcano crater. Video : Martin Sanchez

Loud rumbles emanating from the Reykjanes Peninsula eruption site, the Icelandic Meteorological Service reported on July 27, were evidence of pockets of methane gas trapped in the lava flow exploding. The youngest volcano on Earth sent a swirling tornado soaring into the sky.

The Litli-Hrutur volcano erupted through a fissure in the ground on July 10 and has been spewing lava ever since. As the lava flows through vegetation, methane gas is produced when the vegetation doesn’t burn completely. The gas then collects in cavities in the lava. Pockets of methane gas mix with oxygen to form a flammable mixture. The explosion occurs when sparks from a fire catch on the gas pockets. Authorities warn that this is a risk for anyone getting too close to the lava flow.

The tornado that forms above Litli-Hrutur is due to a combination of meteorological and geological factors. The intense heat from the molten rock erupting from the crater heats the air just above it, causing it to thin out and rise. Under the right wind conditions, this column of hot air rotates to create a tornado. It’s unclear whether the tornado is formed by superheated volcanic debris floating above the geyser or by the heat of the lava flow, according to David Smart, a tornado and storm researcher at the University of London’s Hazard Center.

“This is the type of tornado that can sometimes occur where there is a strong heat source on the ground and the air is unstable below a kilometer or very close to the ground,” Smart explains. Air is said to be unstable when the temperature drops rapidly with altitude.

The young volcano shows no signs of slowing down. Researchers recently discovered a change in geyser activity that caused the crater to collapse, sending lava flowing north and west while the flow to the south has slowed.

An Khang (According to Live Science )

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