The current eruption also took place on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula close to the capital, in the Sundhnúkur crater chain, in the Svartsengi volcanic system, where this type of activity last occurred in May. The lava burst to the surface from an estimated 3.9 kilometer long fissure, which was accompanied by several earthquakes, the strongest of which reached magnitude 4, and was felt by the residents of Reykjavík.
On this page you can follow the activity of the volcano on a permanent webcamwhere two live webcams show:
Impressive footage of the volcanic eruption is circulating on social media:
According to the correspondent of the RÚV public service broadcaster, “the earth opened like a zipper”. According to the local meteorological service, a cloud of hot gas rose to a height of one kilometer into the evening sky. In the live broadcast of RÚV, the orange lava veins could be seen in the darkness of the night on the solidified volcanic rock following previous eruptions.
At dawn, all you could see was thick smoke. According to the local meteorological service, the power of the eruption, after peaking overnight, subsided in the morning.
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Magnús geologist Tumi Gudmundsson said after flying over the area affected by the eruption that the port city of Grindavík is not in danger, unlike previous similar lava flows. At the same time, the city, which originally had a population of 4,000, has barely any residents left as a result of multiple evacuations. According to official data, only about two dozen houses now live there.
2024-08-23 18:58:35