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The most gorgeous and terrifying photos of the natural world captured in 2017

Hilary BrueckDec 7, 2017, 23:56 IST

A long exposure shows molten lava flowing from the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world's most active volcanoes, on the French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, February 3, 2017.REUTERS/Gilles Adt

2017 was a year of destruction. Wildfires raged, volcanoes erupted and pollution swarmed entire cities in a fog of smoggy air.

But the beauty of the natural world didn't escape unnoticed. Here are some of the most gorgeous photos of what happened to the Earth this year, as captured by Reuters photographers.