Volcanoes have been a persistent part of Earth¡¯s history. With volcanic eruptions every four to five years, Iceland serves as an active example of this.?
Centuries of eruptions in some parts of Iceland have formed sea cliffs that are mesmerizing to look at. One such, is famous as the ¡°elephant rock¡±.
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Located around 7.4 kilometre off Iceland's South Coast in the Westman Islands archipelago is a natural rock formation that reflects as one of the prime examples of nature¡¯s beauty.?
Called the 'elephant rock', the volcanic rock formation that dips into Iceland's sea is shaped as the head of an elephant with its trunk submerged in the water.
The rock formation is shaped so perfectly like an elephant that many confuse it to be human-made. Part of the reason is the dark greyish colour of the cliff, thanks to the basalt rock present in it. It looks much like the wrinkled skin of an elephant.
As for its formation, it is believed that it gained the elephant head shape as we see today during one of Mt. Eldfell's many eruptions. The most recent eruption among these was Eldfell's 1973 eruption, which caused the evacuation of Heimaey's entire population at the time. The rock itself is much older though.
The scenic wonder is easy to access via ferry from Heimaey, the largest land mass in Westman Islands. Elephant rock is thus a popular destination for tourists. Images and videos of the rock are often found doing the rounds on social media. Here are some that capture the nature¡¯s wonder beautifully -?