photos-ill-advised-tourists-roast-marshmallows-over-active-volcano-in-iceland

PHOTOS: Ill-Advised Tourists Roast Marshmallows Over Active Volcano in Iceland

We’re once again face-palming after a tourist did something both sticky and stupid at an Icelandic volcano.

Recently, someone took a picture of a tourist roasting marshmallows over an active volcano in Iceland on Thursday as other onlookers visited the lava-spewing site.

However, some visitors got dangerously close to the treacherous, molten-lave-making site near Mount Fagradalsfjall in Iceland. In recently released images, you can see moronic tourists taking the opportunity to roast marshmallows over the active volcano. Although we thought we didn’t need to state this explicitly, please do not do this if you find yourself visiting an active volcano.

The Icelandic volcano erupted Wednesday afternoon in the town of Grindavik, about 30 miles outside Reykjavik. The eruption was a result of dozens of earthquakes that hit the area.

The same volcano erupted last year, leaving lava flowing out of it for six months after the initial eruption.

In 2018, across the world, just days after Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano burst into a cloud of ash, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) advised tourists visiting the volcano not to get close enough to roast food.

“Is it safe to roast marshmallows over volcanic vents? Assuming you had a long enough stick, that is? Or would the resulting marshmallows be poisonous?” one Twitter user asked.

The USGS replied, writing, “Erm… we’re going to have to say no, that’s not safe. (Please don’t try!).”

More people likely to come in contact with volcanos in coming years

Every year about 60 of these burping bowls erupt worldwide. While some erupt without any warning, others are known to go off on a regular basis.

For instance, Hawaii’s Kilauea is one of the world’s most active sites. Its current blast began over 35 years ago. However, there’s been an increase in its activity in recent weeks.

As it turns out, its lava flows have erupted in people’s backyards. Thankfully authorities only reported one serious injury. In that instance, a man was hit by molten rock as he sat unassumingly on his balcony.

While this volcano seems somewhat docile, we can’t say the same for other volcanos across the world. Since 1500, about 280,000 people have been killed by volcanoes. Volcanos have killed about 2,000 people since 2000.

In 2021, three tourists died in Italy when they fell into a pit of a volcano’s crater. Currently, about 800 million people live within 60 miles of an active volcano.

As populations continue to grow, it’s safe to say more people will end up close to one of the world’s 1,500 active sites, spread across 81 countries.

As for Kilauea, the USGS noticed an increase in seismic activity at the end of April. Since then, lava flows in the area have moved about three miles to the ocean, destroying homes on the way and leading to the evacuation of thousands.