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Lava built this island—then entombed towns in stone
After one of the Canary Islands' worst volcanic eruptions in centuries, a community confronts the damage, and rethinks its way of life.
When cracks opened in the Cumbre Vieja ridge on La Palma in September 2021, they kicked off one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions on the Canary Islands in 500 years. Lava fountains blasted almost 2,000 feet high, and masses of molten rock landed thousands of feet from the newly formed crater.
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