Lava Eruptions, Le Grand Brule, Reunion Island (photo)

Lava eruptions, Le Grand Brule, east part of the Reuinion Island. The Grand Brûlé is the coastal part of the last caldera formed by the Piton de la Fournaise ("Peak of the Furnace"), the active volcano on the island of La Reunion. The top part of the volcano is occupied by the Enclos Fouqué, a caldera 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) wide. High cliffs known as remparts form the caldera's rim. The caldera is breached to the southeast into the sea. It is unstable and is in the initial stages of failure. It will eventually collapse into the Indian Ocean. Whether it will generate a so-called "megatsunami" is controversial. There is evidence on the submerged flanks and abyssal plain of earlier failures. The lower slopes are known as the Grand Brûlé ("Great Burnt"). Most volcanic eruptions are confined to the caldera. Photographed in 2013