2023-12-19 04:19:37
Abroad After weeks of earthquakes
Four kilometer long crack from which lava oozes – volcano erupted in Iceland
As of: 05:19 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
The night sky is illuminated following the eruption of a volcano in southwest Iceland
Source: Brynjar Gunnarsson/AP
A volcano has erupted in Iceland. The eruption was expected; earthquakes had occurred once more and once more. A video shows the approximately four kilometer long crack from which lava oozes. An expert says the lava masses are far larger than in previous eruptions.
After weeks of earthquakes, a volcano has erupted in southwest Iceland. “Warning: The eruption started north of Grindavik near Hagafell,” the country’s meteorological office said on its website on Monday. Films and photos on Platform X showed orange-red glowing lava fountains shooting into the dark night sky and illuminating it brightly.
The fissure widened throughout the night and grew to regarding four kilometers by early morning, a volcanologist said. According to experts, the crack is many times longer than the eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years. The lava flow is also much larger, with around 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava flowing out of the crack per second. Civil defense declared an emergency level.
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Volcanologist Ármann Höskuldsson said the crack extends towards Grindavík. Fortunately, no lava flows towards the power plants there. The building is currently not at risk, it said. Höskuldsson told Icelandic radio station RÚV that he estimated the eruption might last a week to ten days. The nearby Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik initially remained open.
Iceland’s President Gudni Jóhannesson wrote on Facebook that it was still unclear what damage the eruption might cause. He asked local people to follow all recommendations from emergency services “at this dangerous moment”. According to media, the police asked onlookers not to approach the volcano.
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There have been thousands of earthquakes in the region in the past two months. Fearing an eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula, the authorities had already evacuated the almost 4,000 residents of the fishing village of Grindavik last month and also closed the Blue Lagoon geothermal bath, which is popular with tourists.
Iceland lies between the Eurasian and North American plates. Because the plates move in opposite directions, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur once more and once more in the island nation. In 2010, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano forced hundreds of Icelanders from their homes. Around 10,000 flights had to be canceled.
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