An Icelandic photographer has shared a video on social media capturing lava flowing from the Sundhnúkagígar volcano across the snow without evaporating.
(Video: Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove).
The footage was recorded by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove during an eruption of the Sundhnúkagígar volcano in February 2024. This event is part of larger eruptions occurring between 2023 and 2024, which have led to significant damage in the town of Grindavík. Van Nieuwenhove shared the video on social media, where it garnered considerable attention, receiving approximately 500,000 likes, according to IFL Science on November 14.
However, some viewers expressed skepticism, suggesting the footage might have been created by artificial intelligence (AI). Nonetheless, the photographer confirmed that the video is real, not AI-generated, and has not been altered or sped up. “It’s fascinating because it shows how much we can still be surprised by the uniqueness of nature,” he wrote.
One puzzling aspect is that snow does not produce steam when in contact with the hot lava. Van Nieuwenhove investigated this phenomenon and learned that it may be related to the Leidenfrost effect. First described in the 18th century, the Leidenfrost effect occurs when a liquid near a significantly hotter object creates an insulating vapor layer that prevents it from boiling quickly.
Lava from the Sundhnúkagígar volcano flowing over snow.
“The lava is hot enough to melt the snow above, creating a temporary vapor layer that shields the underlying snow from heat, similar to what you observe when water droplets move across a hot metal surface. The lava flows quickly enough to cover the snow before it melts. As a result, everything is trapped underneath the lava,” Van Nieuwenhove explained.
He noted that some viewer misconceptions might also stem from the unusual physical properties of lava. “One thing I’ve realized while filming the continuous eruptions in Iceland over the past four years is that most people misjudge how lava behaves. I believe special effects in movies have had a significant impact. People are astonished by its appearance, movement, sound, and how lava interacts with its surroundings. Lava is a strange substance and looks surreal in the video,” the photographer commented.
