Laki Lava and Wooly Fringe Moss

The Laki volcanic fissure eruption began June 8, 1783. Over a 5 month period multiple fissures erupted 15 cubic kilometers (3.6 cubic miles) of lava covering 600 square kilometers (232 square miles) of Iceland's south coast east of Vik. The lava is now covered with a thick blanket of wooly fringe moss giving it an otherworldly appearance. It's easy to see how the stories of trolls and hidden people might have originated with a landscape such as this. The Laki eruption was responsible for cooler temperatures across northern Europe that caused crop failures resulting in a famine. This famine is thought to be a contributing factor in the start of the French Revolution.