Heimaey is the only inhabited island in the group of fifteen islands off the south coast of Iceland. In 1973 a a volcano erupted on the island covering a third of the town with lava and hot ash. This eruption increasing the islands size by 2.3 square kilometers, and forming the volcanic cone of Eldfell (Fire Mountain in Icelandic). The landscape around this now dormant volcano is surreal in colour and form.