[1/5]A volcano spews lava and smoke as it erupts, near Grindavik, on Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, February 8. via Iceland Civil Protection Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabHISTORY OF ERUPTIONS
The latest eruptive fissure, the sixth outbreak since 2021, was roughly 3 km (2 miles) long, Iceland’s meteorological office said. Intense earthquake activity began around 5:30 a.m. and the eruption itself 30 minutes later.
A plume of smoke rose 3 km into the air, according to the Met Office.
Reykjanesbaer, Iceland’s fifth largest municipality, said it would close all kindergardens and schools on Friday.
The previous eruption in the area started on Jan. 14 and lasted roughly two days, with lava flows reaching the outskirts of the Grindavik fishing town, whose nearly 4,000 inhabitants had been evacuated, where some houses were set alight.
Thursday’s eruption took place some way from Grindavik and was unlikely to pose a direct threat to the town, Icelandic geophysicist Ari Trausti Gudmundsson told Reuters.
Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson posted an image of flames and smoke in the distance on social media, saying that was the view from his residence.
“As before, our thoughts are with the people of Grindavik who cannot reside in their beautiful town. This too shall pass,” Johannesson wrote.
Despite downgrading the volcanic system’s threat level, authorities have warned of further eruptions as land continued to rise in the area due to magma accumulating underground.
The Reykjanes peninsula alone has six active volcanic systems and could see eruptions on-and-off for decades or potentially even centuries, Gudmundsson said.
Other parts of the country have more powerful volcanoes.
In 2010, ash clouds from eruptions at Eyafjallajokull in the south of Iceland spread over large parts of Europe, grounding some 100,000 flights and forcing hundreds of Icelanders to evacuate homes.
But unlike Eyafjallajokull, the Reykjanes volcano systems are not trapped under glaciers and are thus not expected to cause similar-sized ash clouds.
Iceland, which is roughly the size of the U.S. state of Kentucky, boasts more than 30 active volcanoes, making the north European island a prime destination for volcano tourism – a niche segment that attracts thousands of thrill seekers.
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Reporting by Frank Nieuwenhuis in Iceland, Stine Jacobsen and Tom Little in Copenhagen, writing by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Toby Chopra
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Publish date : 2024-02-08 08:00:00
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