Peering into Eyafallajökull

Looking at the images of the volcanic eruption in Iceland, there is nothing like a a very real subglacial volcanic eruption to create the ultimate fantasy form photograph - 3D effects, high contrasts, and a massive, celestial scale. However the question arises, is this why are we so enthralled by these photos? There must be more at play. I think about it in relation to one observation that I've made for years now - most people (regardless of their skill or interest in photography) have a tangible desire to photograph sunsets when they see them- this is not simply out of an aesthetic appreciation of their color and composition but it is out of a wonderment that something so seemingly majestic and divine can occur naturally and often.  It is in the real that we seek the unreal. In these photographs we face the thrilling fear of looking at the chasm between a divine and yet godless universe.
 

Photo by Marco Fulle, taken from
http://www.swisseduc.ch/stromboli/perm/iceland/eyafallajokull_20100416-en.html