A volcanic eruption, the fourth in two years, began Monday evening in Iceland, south of the capital Reykjavik. On November 11, residents of Grindavik, a picturesque village of 4,000 residents, were evacuated as a precaution.
Published on: 12/19/2023 – 12:38 a.m. Modified on: 12/19/2023 – 12:44 a.m
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A volcanic eruption, the fourth in two years, began on Monday evening, December 18, in Iceland, in an area where seismic activity has been very intense since early November, the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO) said.
“An exuberant eruption began a few kilometers northeast of Grindavík,” the IMO announced in a statement, noting that the aviation color code had changed to red before quickly changing back to orange in the absence of an ash cloud.
“The eruption began at 10:17 p.m. (GMT) after an earthquake at around 9 p.m.,” the Meteorological Institute further explained, noting that “the estimated length of the rift is about 2.8 km, three times larger than last time .” outbreak last summer.
According to images from local media, whose cameras have been installed near the volcano for weeks, glowing orange lava is pouring vigorously from a fissure that actually appears to be quite long.
“Our thoughts are (…) with the local population (of Grindavík, editor's note), we hope for the best, but it is clear that this is a significant outbreak,” wrote Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir Facebook.
“At the moment there is no disruption to arrivals or departures at Keflavik Airport,” Icelandic airport operator ISAVIA said on its website, as traffic was relatively light at this late hour. However, an air traffic controller strike planned for Tuesday is likely to have an impact on many travelers.
For their part, the local police stated that the population is not at risk at the current level of the outbreak. There had already been large-scale mobilization since October, and signs of ground swelling caused by an accumulation of magma were discovered near the “Blue Lagoon,” famous hot baths with turquoise water that are very popular with tourists became. The site was partially reopened on Sunday due to the apparent calm of the seismicity.
New cycle of volcanic activity?
As of March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula, south of the capital Reykjavik, had been spared from eruptions for eight centuries. Since then, there have been two more, in August 2022 and July 2023, which volcanologists consider a sign of a resumption of volcanic activity in the region. According to volcanologists, the new cycle on the peninsula could last decades. In this land of fire and ice, the most volcanic region in Europe, 33 volcanic systems are considered active.
On November 11, after a state of emergency was declared, residents of Grindavik, a picturesque village of 4,000 people, were evacuated as a precaution after hundreds of earthquakes caused by the movement of magma beneath the Earth's crust – a sign which may be a harbinger of a volcanic eruption. Since then, they have only been allowed to visit their homes at certain times a day.
“No country is better prepared for natural disasters than Iceland,” the prime minister said during a press conference on November 18.
In 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in the south of the island caused the largest disruption to air traffic in peacetime. A title that has now been removed from shelves due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Other volcanoes, such as Askja in Iceland's uninhabited central highlands, have recently shown signs of activity.
One of the most impressive volcanoes in the country is Katla, near the south coast. The last eruption occurred in 1918, and an unusually long pause suggested an impending revival. The recent eruptions attracted many onlookers, tourists and locals who came to admire the lava flows that erupted from the igneous faults.
With AFP