By Thursday afternoon, the outbreak had subsided. But the situation had by no means returned to normal for the inhabitants of the Reykjanes peninsula.
A state of emergency was introduced when lava flowed over the water main. And the well-known spa facility The Blue Lagoon has been evacuated. Lava has cleared a road leading to the spa facility.
The water line carries water from the Svartsengi power plant to the southern part of the peninsula. The authorities warn that residents can only have one heater per home, and that the entire power grid may collapse if this is not followed.
The water tanks in the area are expected to have water for between six and twelve hours in emergency situations, and between three and six hours during normal use, writes Morgunbladid.
Sixth outbreak in three years
– Warning: A volcanic eruption has started north of Sýlingarfell, read the warning from the Icelandic Meteorological Institute on Thursday morning.
Iceland’s Meteorological Institute recorded strong seismic activity near the Fagradalsfjell volcano at 5:20 a.m., and magma rose to the surface around 6 a.m., the broadcaster reported Ruv. The eruption is the sixth since 2021.
Bright orange lava was sprayed up from fissures in the ground, images published by Morgunbladid. The Icelandic authorities have implemented emergency measures, and the case will be closely followed, writes Ruv.
The fissure from which the lava flowed was about three kilometers long, according to the Icelandic coast guard who flew over the eruption. According to the coast guard, the lava flow appears to be smaller than the eruption on 18 December last year.
– No wonder
The eruption is not surprising, according to the Norwegian geologist Børge Johannes Wigum who lives in Iceland.
– It seems that the location is approximately the same place as in December, which can be beneficial. The lava flows to the west, so the protective embankments at the Blue Lagoon can come in handy, he tells NTB.
He estimates that the outbreak will probably last only a few days.
The geothermal spa facility The Blue Lagoon is not far from the small town of Grindavik, which has been evacuated as a result of previous eruptions.
Can reach Reykjavik
Several experts now fear that new volcanic systems are coming to life, which could lead to eruptions significantly closer to the capital, Reykjavik.
Then there is a certain risk of lava reaching the city limits.
– Reykjavik is not in the volcanic zone, so there will be no eruptions in the city. But if an eruption is ongoing, and the lava flows become larger, there is a certain risk of the lava reaching the city, says Ólafur Gudmundsson, professor of geophysics at Uppsala University, to the news agency TT
– It has happened before, prehistorically. But it depends on how close the eruptions are, he adds.
Destroyed homes
In December, Grindavik was evacuated ahead of an eruption. A new eruption on 14 January caused lava to flow into the town and destroy three homes. The outbreak lasted two days.
Sýlingarfell is located near Grindavik, but it is not expected that Thursday’s eruption will threaten the town.
On 1 February, Iceland’s Meteorological Institute announced that the risk of new eruptions had increased. At the time it was said that the next outbreak could come within two weeks.
Icelandic authorities began work in November to build barriers to protect homes and critical infrastructure from lava.
New Volcanic Period
Ólafur Gudmundsson says that Reykjanes is in a volcanic eruption period. The previous period was approximately between the years 900 and 1230, and the period before that was approximately 1000 years earlier.
According to Gudmundsson, the assumed current period may last 200 to 300 years.
Iceland’s location means that the country has an extremely high level of geological activity. However, most volcanic eruptions are small and do not have major consequences for those who live there.