A new volcanic eruption began in Iceland on Saturday evening and is still ongoing but has subsided. It is the fourth eruption since December.
The eruption started in the same volcanic system as the previous ones, in the area between the Icelandic hills Hagafell and Stóra-Skógfell. During the evening, lava flowed across Grindavíkurvegur, the road between Grindavík and the northern part of the Reykjanes peninsula, as well as southwards towards Grindavík, westwards and even eastwards. The fissure is about 3.5 kilometres long.
– The current eruption is the strongest in the current system so far, geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson from the University of Iceland told the Icelandic state broadcaster RUV.
The eruption continued until Monday, but since Saturday it has decreased to about 2-5 per cent of its original strength, Guðmundsson said.
In December, the area was hit by a powerful volcanic eruption following strong earthquakes. Víðir Reynisson, head of the Civil Defence, said that Grindavík had been evacuated again, but that the eruption had not yet posed a threat to residents as the lava was flowing along the city’s sea walls. However, around 700 people have been evacuated from the Blue Lagoon tourist attraction.
– The biggest concern at the moment is the infrastructure, says Reynisson.
