Incredible images of the Bárðarbunga eruption
Wednesday, 3rd September 2014

Ragnar TH Sigurdsson, an Icelandic photographer and long-time friend of Discover the World, photographed the Bárðarbunga eruption at the Holuhraun lava field in the highlands of Iceland in autumn 2014.
Ragnar took a sightseeing flight over Bárðarbunga and has captured some incredible images from the air.

The Bárðarbunga volcanic system is one of the largest of its kind in Iceland. A large sub-glacial volcano with a 10km-wide caldera, it is covered by ice up to 700m thick and forms the northwestern part of the Vatnajökull ice cap.

After an intial eruption occured on Friday 29th August 2014, a second fissure opened up in the early hours of Sunday 31st August at Holuhraun, north of the Dyngjujökull glacier. It is this images of this eruption that Ragnar has captured.

Discover the World was in communication with renowned geologist, volcanologist and author Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, who provided us with updates and expert analysis throughout the eruption.

Feeling inspired?
Find out more about Bárðarbunga and how you could witness a future eruption as well as explore Iceland’s volcanic landscapes.