In Grindavik, Iceland, a volcano burst into activity for the fourth time in just three months on a Saturday evening. This event painted the sky with stunning streams of orange lava.
The eruption created a crack in the earth approximately 3 kilometers (almost 2 miles) long, nestled between the Stóra-Skógfell and Hagafell mountains on the Reykjanes Peninsula. This was confirmed by Iceland’s Meteorological Office.
For weeks, the Met Office had been observing signs that magma, or semi-molten rock, was building up beneath the surface, hinting that an eruption was on the horizon.
When the eruption commenced, hundreds of visitors at the Blue Lagoon thermal spa, a renowned destination in Iceland, were promptly evacuated. This was reported by the national broadcaster, RUV.
Despite the dramatic natural event, operations at Keflavik, Iceland’s primary airport located nearby, continued without interruption.
The site of the eruption is situated a few kilometers northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town with a population of 3,800. This town is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. Residents had previously evacuated in December before the initial eruption and had to do so again on Saturday.
The awakening of the Svartsengi volcanic system in November, after nearly 800 years of dormancy, led to the evacuation of Grindavik. This awakening was marked by a series of earthquakes that created significant fissures in the ground north of the town.
The volcano first erupted on December 18, with the lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption on January 14 directed lava towards the town. Although defensive barriers, reinforced after the first eruption, managed to halt some of the lava, several buildings were engulfed.
Both of these eruptions were relatively short-lived, lasting only a few days. A third eruption that started on February 8 ended within hours, but not before a lava river severed a pipeline, disrupting the supply of heat and hot water to thousands.
According to RUV, geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson described this latest eruption as the most intense so far. The Met Office noted that some of the lava was advancing towards the protective barriers around Grindavik.
Iceland is positioned over a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic and frequently experiences eruptions. The country is well-equipped to manage these natural events. The most disruptive eruption in recent memory was in 2010 when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, sending vast ash clouds into the sky and causing extensive airspace closures over Europe.
Fortunately, there have been no confirmed fatalities from these recent volcanic activities. However, there was a report of a worker going missing after falling into a fissure opened by the volcano.