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Topline
A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula is erupting again, damaging water and electric infrastructure on the region just south of the nation’s capital, after previous eruptions in December and January forced residents of the small town of Grindavik to evacuate.
A state of emergency was declared after some towns on the Reyjanes Peninsula lost power and hot … [+]
Key Facts
Seismic activity began on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 5:30 a.m. local time, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported, before lava began bursting from the earth near Mount Sýlingarfell about 30 minutes later.
The eruption created a fissure about 1.8 miles long between the mountains of Sundhnúkur and Stóra-Skógfell, and is spewing lava up to 230 feet into the sky.
This eruption is taking place closer to the site of the December 18 eruption—not immediately threatening the town of Grindavik as the eruption in January.
Around 12 p.m. local time, lava flowed over a hot water pipeline that supplies much of the peninsula, Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV reported, with the Icelandic Civil Protection agency declaring a state of emergency in several municipalities.
About one hour later, the lava flow damaged a power line, likely cutting off electricity for residents of Grindavik.
No disruptions have been reported at Keflavic International Airport, which serves the nation’s capital in Reykjavik, but the eruption was visible from President Guðni Jóhannesson’s home, according to a photo he shared on X.
The lava flow approaches a road near Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
A state of emergency was declared in several municipalities on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Lava crosses a highway near the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.
The fissure that opened on Thursday morning is about 1.8 miles long.
Lava erupts from the fissure on Thursday morning.
Key Background
Thursday’s eruption comes after months of seismic activity has engulfed the Reykjanes Peninsula, a region just a few miles south of Reykjavik. The most recent eruption on January 14 took place only yards away from the boundary of the small town of Grindavik, whose population of 4,000 was evacuated in November to prepare for the possible eruptions. On Feb. 1, the Met Office announced that about 6.5 million cubic meters had accumulated beneath Reykjanes again, close to the same amount that the eruption on Jan. 14 had spewed just outside of Grindavik. The office warned another eruption was imminent at any point in the next two weeks. At the same time, the office detected over 200 minor earthquakes in the area, under 1.0 magnitude.
Further Reading
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