Icelandic Volcano Erupts, Unleashing Lava Flow Into Small Town
A volcanic eruption occurred in Iceland on Sunday, following a series of hundreds of earthquakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The seismic activity resulted in a fissure opening in December, leading to the release of lava into a residential area for the first time in over 40 years.
Around 8 a.m. local time, the eruption took place near Hagafell, a mountain peak north of Grindavik. The fissure, over 3,200 feet long, emitted glowing lava, with the crack continuously expanding in subsequent hours, as reported by local news media and the nation’s civil defense agency.
While a larger eruption last month posed a threat to the town and a nearby power plant, Sunday's eruption, though smaller in scale, caused more significant chaos when lava started flowing into Grindavik, approximately 30 miles southwest of Reykjavik.
The seismic activity commenced around 3 a.m. Sunday, with at least 200 earthquakes striking the Grindavik area. A smaller fissure, measuring approximately 492 feet, opened near the town’s edge later on, as captured in live broadcasts on Icelandic television, showing lava fountains near homes.
Residents of Grindavik, who had experienced repeated evacuations, were growing weary. The town was first cleared in November, and again last month. Sunday's complete evacuation order, issued ahead of the latest eruption, saw only about 200 people remaining.
Kjartan Adolfsson, a Grindavik resident temporarily residing in Reykjavík, expressed a sense of hopelessness among residents regarding a prompt return, stating, “None of us knows what to think today.”
Despite an initial intense lava flow, which reached heights of 160 feet, there is uncertainty about the future course of the eruption. Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a volcanologist advising the civil defense agency, remarked that it is too early to predict the outcome.
The larger fissure breached barriers constructed to shield the town from lava flow, but emergency workers extended protective measures around the Svartsengi power plant, avoiding a potential disaster, according to Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, a spokeswoman for the defense agency.
The eruption also approached the Blue Lagoon, a popular geothermal spa, and the Svartsengi power plant. However, authorities assured that neither the resort nor the power plant were immediately endangered.
The Reykjanes Peninsula, known for a row of dormant volcanoes until 2021, has experienced four eruptions since then. Volcanologist Armann Hoskuldsson warned of a new volcanic era on the peninsula, anticipating increased seismic activity in the coming decade.
Despite the recent volcanic activity, air travel to and from Iceland remains unaffected, as per updates from Keflavik International Airport.
