A Changing Landscape

The lead photo of this footprint makes you think it's just another shot from the patio. Almost, it's taken from the end of mine looking across the patio of apartment 2. It is more than a patio shot though, as the other photos show. It's a great view though and prominently you can see two old volcanic cones which were created a long time ago. If you zoom in and look around them you will see what looks like a black 'river' flowing between them. That is no river, however, it is black solidified lava from La Palma's most recent Tajagaite eruption ... in September 2021. There was an eruption in 1971, 20 km from this one, so the Earth is still active here.

As you scroll though the photos, take time to zoom in and look at the extent of what happened here. It was clearly a major event with houses lost, people displaced and roads buried.

You can see the main town of Tazacorte, which isn't all that far away from the destruction, so the residents must have been very worried. During the eruption the view from this apartment would have been spectacular. The edge of the lava field is only a ten minute drive from here and that's not very far at all.Read more