A volcano erupted on the southwestern coast of Iceland on Saturday, marking its fourth eruption since December. This event led to an evacuation, as stated by officials.
The eruption started between Mt. Hagafell and Mt. Stóra Skógfell at 20:23 UTC. A fissure, stretching 2.9 kilometers long, formed rapidly, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported a swift lead-up to this eruption. Consequently, a state of emergency was declared due to the volcanic activity.
The first alert was issued to Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management at 19:43 UTC. The eruption was then confirmed 40 minutes later through web camera footage.
The nature of the eruption is effusive, meaning it primarily emits steam and gas, the office explained.
Initial assessments, based on aerial photos and web camera images, suggest this eruption has the largest magma discharge compared to the previous three eruptions from the Sundhnúkur crater row.
The lava is moving westward towards the protection barriers of the Svartsengi region and southeast towards those for Grindavík.
The skyline of Reykjavik was illuminated by an orange glow from the molten lava flowing from a fissure on the Reykjanes peninsula, north of the evacuated town of Grindavík, on March 16, 2024.
Grindavik, a fishing town with 4,000 residents, is currently being evacuated, as mentioned by Gisli Olafsson, an MP.
The nearby geothermal spa, Blue Lagoon, was also evacuated. Olafsson announced on social media that the spa would remain closed at least until Sunday due to the eruption.
The location of this latest fissure is similar to that of the previous eruption on February 8, as noted by the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Another eruption close by on January 14 caused lava to flow into Grindavik, resulting in the destruction of several homes.
An eruption on December 18 was accompanied by hundreds of earthquakes, affecting the magma flow.