Iceland volcano flares up in 7th eruption in a year, as Grindavík evacuates residents

A volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland flared once more late Wednesday evening, marking the area’s seventh eruption in only one yr. 

Lava burst from a crack within the floor earlier than midnight native time, originating in a spot the place there was a resurgence of volcanic exercise. It occurred rapidly and despatched a molten stream touring towards the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s most well-known vacationer attraction. It is a geothermal spa set in a lava discipline simply outdoors the city of Grindavík that pulls almost one million guests every year.

Vacationers have been evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, Iceland’s nationwide broadcaster RÚV reported. Some may be seen venturing startlingly near the magma, in an obvious effort to seize the eruption on their telephones, in a video revealed by the broadcaster. Response crews ushered them to security earlier than the magma roiled farther over the realm, masking a bit of the car parking zone adjoining to the Blue Lagoon in addition to a vital pipeline that funnels scorching water from a geothermal energy station, known as Svartsengi, into the spa and across the peninsula.

Placing aerial footage of the scenario additionally revealed by RÚV confirmed the expanse of the eruption. Fiery magma blankets the bottom within the video, and thick smoke rises from it into the air.

Individuals have been evacuated from about 50 properties Wednesday in Grindavík, a small fishing city on Iceland’s southern peninsula, in accordance with the nation’s Civil Safety Company. The company stated it was unclear precisely which volcano was erupting, however famous the lava got here from the identical space experiencing volcanic exercise. Grindavík is a few 30 miles south of Reykjavík, Iceland’s capital metropolis. Icelandic officers haven’t reported points within the capital attributable to the eruption.

Officers stated Thursday that volcanic exercise was ongoing, with seismic displays indicating the magma had unfold over at the very least 7 sq. kilometers of land, barely lower than 4 1/2 sq. miles. The Njarðvík pipeline may nonetheless operate Thursday beneath the magma, stated the Icelandic Meteorological Workplace. Magma had crossed the street into Grindavík when the workplace shared its most up-to-date replace, however the eruption’s peak had seemingly handed by then and the fissure from which it originated had shortened, in accordance with measurements taken by the Nationwide Police Commissioner’s particular forces unit. 

Earthquakes within the space precipitated the bottom to separate and triggered the volcano, the workplace stated. Iceland is located on prime of a rift between two tectonic plates, which makes the island nation susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which have rocked parts of the nation and displaced residents in recent times.

It was the seventh time Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula skilled a volcanic eruption since December 2023, with a number of earlier flares breaking out over the summer time. Officers stated the most recent eruption was much less extreme than the final one, which occurred in August and resulted in a number of floor fissures in addition to a subsequent 4.1-magnitude earthquake. The August incident got here simply two months after an eruption continued spewing lava for greater than three weeks. 

On the time, a regional police chief informed Icelandic media that the majority of Grindavík’s 4,000 residents had evacuated from their properties the prior November when the spell of volcanic exercise began to kick up. Whereas some had returned part-time to the city, few have been comfy staying in a single day, the police chief stated. Those that had returned have been efficiently evacuated.

Earlier than the Mount Fagradalsfjall eruption in March 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not seen volcanic exercise in roughly 800 years. Since then, seismologists have fastidiously noticed the reawakening of a long-dormant fault line operating below the panorama.