Handmade Volcano Candle & Lava from Geldingadalur

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These new volcano candles are a celebration of our latest eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavík, which at the time of writing, is still ongoing.  The candles feature a 5cm keepsake bottle of lava from the new volcano - which is currently the newest land to have been created on earth!  The candles themselves measure approximately 8cm in height and I have made them in such a way that the colour lasts through the whole candle (they are poured not dipped).  This makes them really realistic little volcano tributes, which will burn for apprx 2 hours.  If the flame becomes to high at any time you can cut the wick to shorten it.

Early signs of our latest eruption began in mid February 2021, when thousands of earthquakes were recorded in the area, many reaching a magnitude of 4 and 5 and felt by residents all over the Reykjavik area.

The eruption began on March 19th in the form of a fissure opening close to Mount Keilir.  Coincidentally, the timing of the eruption marked the 11 year anniversary of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier eruption in 2010, when a large ash cloud stopped all air traffic.  There is no ash being produced by the new eruption, however, perhaps because there is no water component in the current eruption.

This new eruption marks a new era for Icelanders, as no volcanic activity has ever been recorded in this location before.  It is thought that the last time volcanic activity occurred in this location was approximately 6000 years ago.  As such, this new visual spectacle has now been witnessed by thousands of people hiking to the site and taking helicopters each day in order to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event first hand.  

The new volcanic activity does not have an official name - though it has been referred to as ´Geldingadalur´.  This is the valley where the eruption is taking place and in English it means "Castration Valley".  It was named after the castrated horses which were historically kept in the Valley.