And the earth is breathing fire again: It’s been five weeks since the last volcanic eruption in Iceland, and now another eruption is being reported in the southwest of the country. Several hundred people were evacuated.
For the fourth time in four months, a volcano has erupted in the same region of Iceland. The bright red eruption near the coastal town of Grindavík could be seen from the northeastern capital Reykjavik, photos on the website of broadcaster RÚV showed.
The Blue Lagoon thermal spa, which is popular with tourists and located near Sylingarfell, had to be evacuated. Around 700 people were brought to safety. A few residents who had since returned to Grindavík were also supposed to be taken out of the city again to be on the safe side. They had to leave Grindavík after the last eruption five weeks ago. There is currently no danger to people, it said. Meanwhile, rescue workers warned tourists not to travel to the region.
Lava just before coastal town
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said early this morning that the lava continued to flow south and southeast at an estimated speed of one kilometer per hour. The scenario that the lava reaches the sea must be taken into account.
Some of the lava is also flowing towards the protective barriers for the coastal town of Grindavík, which was evacuated in November, and is now only around 200 meters away from them. The advance warning phase for the eruption was very short: the first warning to the Ministry of Civil Protection was received only 40 minutes before the first eruption began.
3.5 kilometer long fissure in the earth
Scientists tried to get an idea of the situation from a helicopter. The eruption was again announced by strong seismic activity. Experts counted about 80 earthquakes. According to experts, the length of the crack in the earth is around 3.5 kilometers long. Geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson described the latest eruption on RÚV as the strongest so far.
Grindavík is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 55 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik. There have been a total of four volcanic eruptions on the peninsula since mid-December, and in one in January the lava even covered three houses on the northern foothills of the town of 3,700 residents. The future of the community is uncertain. The government has already presented a draft law. This stipulates that residents can sell their residential property to a state-owned company.
With more than 30 active volcanic systems, Iceland is the largest and most active volcanic region in Europe. The island nation in the North Atlantic lies on the so-called Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which separates the Eurasian and North American plates.
Julia Waschenbach, ARD Stockholm, tagesschau, March 17, 2024 12:00 p.m