Another Volcanic Eruption Near Fishing Village Grindavik in Iceland
In live images from the broadcaster RÚV on Tuesday, it was observed how the lava pushed to the surface from a large fissure. The eruption fissure reached a length of about 1,200 meters in the early afternoon hours. However, it continues to spread further south, informed the Meteorological Office. The Icelandic Civil Protection declared an emergency level.
Volcanic Eruption in Iceland: Authorities Called for Evacuations from Fishing Village Grindavik
The impending eruption was announced in the morning with an increasingly strong earthquake swarm in the region. The geothermal spa Blue Lagoon, popular with tourists, was evacuated as quickly as Grindavik, where rescue workers reported feeling the tremors on site. It was feared that cracks could open in the ground within the town. Nevertheless, eight people decided to stay in Grindavik, reported RÚV citing the police. The authorities explicitly called for the town to be evacuated. According to the Meteorological Office, a hot water pipe later broke in the north of the town. Before the volcanic activities of recent years, Grindavík had nearly 4,000 inhabitants, most of whom have since moved away.
Concerns for Fishing Village After Another Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
On the Reykjanes Peninsula, fissure eruptions of this kind are no longer a rarity: The current eruption is the eleventh since 2021 and the eighth since December 2023 alone. The previous last eruption began last November before it ended after 18 days. How long the eruption will last this time cannot yet be estimated. However, initial signs now indicate an even larger eruption than the previous natural spectacles: According to the Meteorological Office, the underground magma tunnel is estimated to be a whopping eleven kilometers long. There was particular concern that the lava masses broke through a protective wall north of Grindavik. What impact this will have on the lava flow remained initially unclear. Given the current wind direction, the authorities also warned that the gases emitted by the lava could be carried towards the capital region. The renewed eruption had been expected for weeks, as large magma masses had accumulated in an underground chamber. The magma volume beneath the Sundhnúkur crater has never been greater, according to the Meteorological Office. Infrastructure Minister Eyjólfur Ármannsson said according to RÚV, one can only wait and see how the eruption develops. One must hope that the eruption fissure does not reach Grindavik.
Elongated Earth Fissure in Volcanic Eruption in Iceland
The eruptions should not be imagined like those from a classic volcanic mountain: Instead, an elongated earth fissure opens, from which glowing red lava gushes for days - hence the name fissure eruption. The lava masses generally do not pose a danger to people in the sparsely populated region. However, in one of the previous eruptions, three houses on the outskirts of Grindavik were also engulfed by the lava, and during the eruption in November, the parking lot of the Blue Lagoon was affected. Large and recently reinforced protective walls made of earth are intended to best protect the infrastructure in the area. The eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula can be traced back to several volcanic systems with underground magma chambers. For almost 800 years, the ground under the area in the southwest of Iceland had been quiet, until a first eruption occurred in March 2021. After three initial eruptions at the Fagradalsfjall mountain massif, the eruption series shifted to the nearby Sundhnúkur crater chain about a year and a half ago. Researchers believe it could continue for decades.
(APA/Red)
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