A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland on Monday evening. Lava and smoke are being emitted over a wide area after weeks of intense seismic activity that threatened a nearby town, the country’s meteorological agency said.
The volcanic eruption started at 10:17 PM (local time) north of Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The eruption is located near Sundhnúkagígar, about four kilometers northeast of Grindavík, and can be seen via nearby webcams.
“The outbreak was preceded by… A swarm of earthquakes that started at 9 p.m. the Icelandic Meteorological and Seismological Agency (MET) said on its website.
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Authorities fear a major outbreak on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The nearly 4,000 residents of the fishing village of Grindavik were evacuated last month. and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
“Warning: the eruption started north of Grindavik, near Hagafell,” the Meteorological Office stated on its website, noting that the eruption started a few kilometers from the city and that fissures in the ground extended towards the city, about 40 kilometers southwest of the capital. Reykjavík.
Neighboring Keflavik International Airport remained open, but with numerous delays in both arrivals and departures.
Images and live broadcasts of the outbreak were shown by Reuters and other media, as molten rock bubbled spectacularly from cracks in the ground, with brilliant shades of yellow and orange contrasting sharply with the dark night sky.
“Seismicity and measurements from GPS devices indicate that magma is moving southwest and the eruption could continue towards Grindavik,” the Meteorological Office said. The crack in the Earth’s surface was about 3.5 kilometers long and was growing rapidly, he added.
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Every second, 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava came out. According to the Meteorological Office, this figure is several times higher than previous outbreaks in the region.
As reported by local police. As a result of the outbreak, the alert level was raised and the country’s civil protection warned the public not to approach the area while rescue teams assessed the situation.
(With information from Reuters and EFE)
Source: La Neta Neta
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
