Scientists said the eruption, the fourth in three months since late Saturday, is likely to weaken and end within hours.
According to the Icelandic Meteorological Service, the eruption opened a fissure regarding 3 km long between two mountains in the system.
On Sunday, the service said lava was flowing south and southeast at regarding 1 km per hour. speed and can reach the ocean. The protective barriers built are to protect the main road of the southern coast of the peninsula from the lava.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa popular with tourists, following the eruption, national broadcaster RUV reported.
The place of the eruption is a few kilometers northeast of Grindavik, which has a population of 3,800. people and which is regarding 50 km southwest of the capital Reykjavík.
Grindavik was evacuated before the first eruption on December 18. During the second eruption on January 14, lava flowed towards the town. After the first eruption, reinforced protective walls partially stopped the flow of lava, but several buildings were destroyed.
Both of the first eruptions lasted for several days. On February 8, a third eruption lasted several hours, but the lava destroyed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water for thousands of people.
Iceland has more than 30 active volcanic systems, the most in Europe.
Located in the North Atlantic, Iceland sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rift in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
Until March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula had not erupted for eight centuries.
New eruptions occurred in August 2022, July and December 2023, and volcanologists said it was likely the start of a new era of seismic activity in the region.
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2024-04-08 05:28:40
