A powerful volcanic eruption has occurred near Grindavik, Iceland, following strong earthquakes. With lava flowing at speeds of up to one kilometer per hour from a 3.5-kilometer fissure, fears are growing that the eruption will threaten nearby communities.
In November, all residents of the town of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula were evacuated due to the threat of a volcanic eruption. The area was hit by hundreds of earthquakes in a short period of time, and magma was found to be flowing down a 15-kilometer-long fissure 800 meters underground.
The volcanic eruption began on Monday evening after a major earthquake, according to Icelandic national broadcaster RUV. The eruption reportedly took place north of the city and near Mount Hagafell.
– This eruption probably started around 20 minutes past ten. Then we saw the first signs of eruptive turbulence. Then a long fissure opened, said Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Could last for months
The fissure has now grown to about 3.5 kilometers long and is being described as a large, early-stage eruption. The eruption is many times more powerful than the eruptions that have occurred on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years. Volcanologist Þorvaldur Þórðarson says that the lava is flowing at about half a kilometer to one kilometer per hour, but it is difficult to determine how the lava is flowing.
– Lava is flowing both north and west from the fissure, and there also seems to be a fairly strong current in an easterly direction, he says.
Jónsdóttir believes that the eruption could continue for several months at its current size, but that it could diminish in size within a few days. However, she also warns that there is a risk that the lava could reach Grindavik.
– Yes, there is a risk, she says.
State of emergency declared
Geophysicist Björn Oddson, however, does not believe that the lava will reach the city because the eruption took place north of the watershed, a point where the lava clearly flows in one direction or the other.
– However, it is necessary to monitor whether the fissure extends further south, he said after a meeting with the Civil Defense in Reykjavik.
The Civil Defense has declared a state of emergency due to the eruption.
