Twelfth Volcanic Eruption in Four Years on Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland

Iceland is experiencing its twelfth volcanic eruption in just over four years. On the sparsely populated Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of the capital Reykjavik, the earth opened again in the morning after the impending eruption was indicated only a few hours earlier by a swarm of earthquakes.

"An eruption has begun," the Icelandic Meteorological Office announced shortly before 4:00 a.m. (local time). In live footage from the broadcaster RÚV, it can be seen how glowing red lava gushes from an elongated fissure in the ground. According to the Meteorological Office, this eruption fissure was initially about 700 to 1,000 meters long.

"Favorable Location": Volcanic Eruption Currently No Danger to People

Experts spoke of a favorable eruption site: There is currently no danger to people in the nearby fishing village of Grindavík or infrastructure in the region. Nevertheless, a well-visited campsite in Grindavík was evacuated as a precaution, as was the geothermal spa Blue Lagoon, which is extremely popular among Iceland tourists. No impacts on international air traffic from the nearby Keflavik Airport were expected again.

Volcanic Eruption Surprises Icelandic Experts

On the Reykjanes Peninsula, volcanic eruptions are no longer a rarity. The last eruption occurred there in early April, which had been anticipated for a long time but lasted only a few days. The current eruption is the twelfth since spring 2021 and the ninth since the end of 2023. Experts had recently expected the next eruption only in the fall.

(APA/Red)

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