2023-12-18 23:24:07
Published19. December 2023, 00:24
Iceland: Volcano near Grindavik erupted – gap is 4 kilometers long
The earth shook in Iceland for weeks. 4,000 people were evacuated from the fishing village of Grindavik in November. Now a volcano is spewing lava.
A volcano erupted near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland late Monday evening.
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That’s what it’s about
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A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland.
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The eruption was preceded by a week-long series of earthquakes.
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Authorities are warning onlookers not to approach the volcano.
After a week-long series of earthquakes, a volcanic eruption occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland late Monday evening. This was announced by the Icelandic Meteorological Office. The eruption began north of the town of Grindavík shortly after 10 p.m. (local time), the institute warned on its homepage on Tuesday night. Films and photos on Platform X showed orange-red glowing lava fountains shooting into the dark night sky and illuminating it brightly. Police asked onlookers not to approach the lava. The town of Grindavik had already been evacuated in November due to fears of an outbreak.
The fissure widened throughout the night and grew to about four kilometers by early morning, a volcanologist said. According to experts, the crack is many times longer than the eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years. The lava flow is also much larger, with around 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava flowing out of the crack per second. Civil defense declared an emergency level.
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Three kilometers north of the fishing village of Grindavik, a volcano spews lava. (December 18, 2023)
AFP/Kristin Magnusson
The night sky over the Reykjanes Peninsula turns orange from the volcanic eruption. (December 18, 2023)
AFP/Oskar Grimur Kristjansson
The residents of Grindavik were evacuated in November.
AFP/Kristin Elisabet Gunnarsdottir
Volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson said the crack extends towards Grindavík. Fortunately, no lava flows towards the power plants there. The building is currently not at risk, it was said. Höskuldsson told Icelandic radio station RÚV that he estimated the eruption could last a week to ten days.
President recommends following authorities’ instructions
Geophysicist Benedikt Ofeigsson from the Icelandic Meteorological Agency said the eruption was located at the Sundhnjúka crater, according to local media reports. At the moment it is difficult to say whether infrastructure or the town of Grindavík is in danger. Iceland’s President Gudni Jóhannesson wrote on Facebook that it was still unclear what damage the eruption could cause. He asked local people to follow all recommendations from emergency services “at this dangerous moment”. Grindavík Mayor Fannar Jónasson said he was somewhat surprised by the timing of the eruption, as the earthquakes had calmed down somewhat in recent days.
However, there were fears of the eruption – hundreds of earthquakes had occurred in the past few weeks. The fishing village of Grindavík was evacuated in November because of this. Around 4,000 people were brought to safety. Most recently, residents of Grindavík were allowed to enter their homes again during the day. However, they were not allowed to return completely.
The Blue Lagoon tourist attraction, located just a few kilometers from town, was only reopened at the weekend after being temporarily closed. It is only around 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik. There were no guests there at the time of the eruption, according to what is probably the most famous tourist attraction on the island.
Recent eruptions hit uninhabited areas
Not only the lava flows are dangerous for people, but also the ash fall and released toxins. Under the town on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where volcanic eruptions have occurred three years in a row, a 15-kilometer-long magma tunnel runs from northeast to southwest into the sea. The most recent eruptions, most recently in July, always hit uninhabited areas.
The land of glaciers, volcanoes and geysers lies on the seam between the North American and Eurasian plates. This is why seismic activity often occurs on the island with a total of almost 390,000 inhabitants. Volcanic eruptions with spectacular images always attract onlookers and tourists. In total there are more than 30 active volcanoes on the North Atlantic island.
(DPA/chk)
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