The most recent volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland is likely to end within days. Seismic activity over the magma tunnel continues to decrease and ground movements have likely slowed significantly, the Icelandic Meteorological Agency announced on Friday afternoon (local time). This information indicated that magma was no longer flowing into the tunnel and that the eruption had ended, the agency wrote.
The danger levels in a risk assessment for the area have been reduced accordingly. In the nearby coastal town of Grindavík, however, there is still a high risk that the ground within the town could collapse and form fissures, experts have warned.
The new eruption in a volcanic area on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, began last Sunday. During the eruption, red-hot lava also swallowed three houses on the northern outskirts of Grindavík – the first time houses were destroyed in this way in Iceland since 1973. In recent days, the situation there has calmed down significantly: the bright red lava is no longer bubbling. in the cracks of the earth.