By Tim Binnall
A daring drone photographer in Iceland captured breathtaking footage of an unfolding volcanic eruption by flying his UAV over the top of the active crater as lava burst forth high into the air. The amazing footage was reportedly filmed by Bjorn Steinbekk last Friday as the Fagradalsfjall volcano sprung to life following a series of small earthquakes in the country. Sensing the opportunity to document the event from a truly unique perspective, the visual artist fired up his drone and did just that, capturing several stunning overhead scenes of the eruption.
In one of Steinbekk's videos, seen above, the drone cruises along a long river of lava flowing from the volcano and, amazingly, when it reaches the active crater, the UAV continues onward over the top of the eruption as it is happening. Either by way of sheer luck or skillful maneuvering, the vehicle manages to deftly avoid the molten rock as it spews forth from the site. "I really thought I would never see my drone again," Steinbekk marveled, "but man, this was so thrilling to capture!" Fortunately, the vehicle did survive the perilous journey, which allowed the photographer to produce a number of other incredible videos from the eruption which can be seen on his YouTube page.