Another volcanic eruption occurred on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula on Saturday night, following which the police declared a state of emergency. This is the fourth volcanic eruption in the region since December. According to information from the Icelandic Meteorological Institute, a volcanic eruption began between Stora Skogfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest of the country. Glowing lava and clouds of smoke might be seen in video footage taken in the area.
Photo: Ael Kermarec / AFP
According to initial estimates based on these images and aerial photographs, “the eruption can be considered the largest of the three previous eruptions in terms of magma outflow,” the institute said, stressing that the estimate is based on the first hour of eruptive activity.
Iceland’s civil defense announced it would send a helicopter to determine the exact location of the new fissure. The police declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak.
According to the report of the Meteorological Institute, the lava flow erupted near the site of the previous eruption on February 8.
Local media reported that shortly following 10 p.m., the top of the lava flow was regarding 200 meters from the levees protecting the eastern part of the small port town of Grindavik and was moving at a speed of regarding one kilometer per hour.
The lava was still flowing westward on February 8, and the length of the fissure was estimated by the authorities to be 2.9 kilometers.
Minutes before the eruption, the meteorological agency issued a statement warning of seismic activity, which increased the risk of another eruption. Local media reported that the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was evacuated, as was the settlement of Grindavik. About four thousand residents of the small town were able to return to their homes on February 19, following they were evacuated on November 11.
Photo: Ael Kermarec / AFP
Approximately 28,000 people live in this region, which is located in the southern part of the peninsula, one of the most densely populated parts of Iceland, regarding 40 kilometers southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
Residents of Grindavik also had to be evacuated on November 11 following hundreds of tremors damaged homes and wide-spread cracks in roads, sparking fears. The earthquakes were followed by a volcanic eruption on December 18 that spared Grindavik, and a second eruption on January 14 that spread orange-colored lava onto the streets and burned three houses on the outskirts of the town.
