Nature and Travel | Iceland Monitor | Mon 23 May 2016 | 13.30 GMT

Incredible "dust devil" phenomena at Iceland's black lava beaches

A dust devil in Mýrdalssandur. Photo/Stefan Christmann

Two foreign photographers, Lars Lehnert and Stefan Christman captured a rare phenomenon at Mýrdalssandur close to Vík on Iceland's south coast this weekend. They photographed a dust devil - a whirlwind made of sand.

This phenomena is fairly common in Iceland according to meterologist Trausti Jónsson but is rarely captured on camera.

"The pillar got darker and darker and began moving from north to south towards the open sea. It was an amazing sight so we stopped the car and grabbed our cameras."

Dust devils are small-scale rotations on the ground not associated with severe weather or tornado-producing thunderstorms. The swirling air is made visible by dust or dirt on the ground which means that they are more common in areas with loose dirt or sand. The underlying factor for sustainability of a dust devil is the extreme difference in temperature between the near-surface air and the atmosphere.