21st Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Birth of a Mountain

In March 2021 a birth began. Over the next six months, molten rock erupted from the depths of the Earth, and a small mountain was born. This series of aerial photographs explores the minutes from when the bright red lava leaves the volcano until it crystallizes into hard black basaltic rock. One moment a stream of lava can appear in the sea of black rock, only to cool and turn into rock, too.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 04.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2023
Photo Location: Iceland
Copyright: © Anders Thøstesen