Molten lava fountains continued to light up Iceland’s skies on Tuesday, as the previous day’s volcanic eruption appeared to have stabilized, Icelandic authorities said, raising hopes that a lava flow would save the threatened village of Grindavik. be affected.
The eruption, which occurred on Monday evening on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, caused lava and smoke to rise more than 100 meters above sea level. It comes after several weeks of earthquakes and signs of magma spreading underground.
The eruption, which occurred on Monday evening on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, caused lava and smoke to rise more than 100 meters above sea level.
Image: Icelandic Coast Guard via Reuters
This new eruption, the fourth in two years, occurred three kilometers from Grindavik, a small fishing town located about 40 kilometers southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
The city has been evacuated since November 11 due to hundreds of earthquakes caused by the movement of magma beneath the Earth’s crust, a possible warning sign of a volcanic eruption. The city’s buildings and streets were severely damaged by this seismic activity.
The eruption occurred 40 kilometers from Reykjavik.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Fear more than harm
If Icelandic authorities take Monday’s explosion seriously, they are nonetheless reassured.
Flights to and from Iceland are not disrupted and international flight corridors remain open
The Icelandic government said in a statement.
The rash is not life-threatening.
Eruption force Rather, it appears to be declining
For its part, the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO) wrote on its website on Tuesday morning.
Actually declining activity is not an indicator of the duration of the eruption, but rather that it is stabilizing.
However, he refers to the institute.
This new eruption, the fourth in two years, occurred three kilometers from Grindavik, a small fishing town located about 40 kilometers southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
Photo: Icelandic Coast Guard via AP
Police announced on Facebook that all roads around Grindavík are closed and are expected to remain closed for the next few days.
Our thoughts go […] To the locals [de Grindavík]. We’re hoping for the best, but this is obviously a blast
Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir wrote on the same platform.
No country is better prepared for natural disasters than Iceland
she said a month ago.
Now we wait to see what the forces of nature have in store for us
For his part, Icelandic President Gudny Johansson launched the social networking site X. He added that protecting lives and infrastructure is a priority.
People look up at the bright sky from Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.
Photo: AP/Brynjar Gunnarsson
Activities are closely monitored
The eruption opened a fissure four kilometers long, from which jets of lava came out. The International Maritime Organization said that the southernmost fissure is still three kilometers from the town of Grindavik.
The eruption occurs north of the continental divide, so lava does not flow towards Grindavik
geologist Björn Odson told public radio RUV.
[L’activité sismique] It can last several months, but it will also stop later today or tomorrow.
The Svarstanji geothermal power plant is located two kilometers west of the eruption and provides electricity and water to about 30,000 residents in the area. Authorities built a protective wall around the facility after seismic activity in November.
The head of Civil Protection and Emergency Management in Iceland, Feder Rennison, warned of this new eruption It is not an eruption that tourists should observe up close, but rather from a distance
.
Volcanic eruptions have become major tourist attractions. Nearly 680,000 visitors come to admire them, according to the Icelandic Tourist Board.
In October, signs of soil swelling were detected near the Blue Lagoon, a popular hot pool with turquoise water that is popular with tourists. The site was partially reopened on Sunday.
An area that has survived until now
Until March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula, south of the capital Reykjavik, had been untouched by volcanic eruptions for eight centuries.
Since March 2021, two more cases have occurred, in August 2022 and July 2023, indicating to volcanologists that volcanic activity has resumed in the region. According to specialists, the new cycle on the peninsula may continue for decades.
Thirty-three volcanic systems are active in this fiery and icy country, which is the most volcanic region in Europe.
Eyjafjallajökull volcano spews lava, smoke and steam on April 19, 2010.
Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackson
In 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, in the south of the island, caused the largest disruption to air traffic in peacetime. A title that has since been wiped from shelves due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other volcanoes, such as Askja in the uninhabited central highlands of Iceland, have shown signs of activity recently.
With information from Agence France-Presse and Reuters
“Total coffee aficionado. Travel buff. Music ninja. Bacon nerd. Beeraholic.”
More Stories
Standard support for maple syrup
United Kingdom | The first arrests of migrants before their expulsion to Rwanda
He swallows an entire bowl of cheese balls in front of hundreds of spectators