La Palma volcano started throwing lava bombs

The La Palma volcano (Spain) continues to erupt, and today local authorities have issued an alert in connection with the release of lava bombs that are rapidly rolling down the hills for several kilometers.

German geochemist and volcanologist Harry Geiger shared a video showing one of these lava bombs sliding at full speed along an ash-strewn slope.

According to scientific data, lava bombs are fragments of rock in a liquid or semi-liquid state that are ejected during an eruption.

"Some fragments of magma up to five centimeters in size are ejected in liquid form, partially cooling during flight and taking rounded or fusiform shapes, which are called bombs," experts explain.

Larger lava bombs tend to fall relatively close to the magmatic center during an eruption. Smaller incandescent fragments can fly several kilometers and harm people's health, as well as damage roofs and windows of houses.