The eruption began around 8 a.m. Sunday, local officials said.
January 14, 2024, 4:16 a.m. ET
• 4 min reading
LONDON – A volcano erupted north of Grindavík, Iceland, just before 8 a.m. Sunday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.
A Coast Guard helicopter flew over the site and sent back photos that appeared to show lava flowing from “both sides of the defenses, construction of which had begun north of Grindavík,” the Met said in an update published in Icelandic. The lava was located about 1,500 feet (450 meters) from the city, officials said.
“Judging by the images, lava is now flowing towards Grindavík,” the Met said.
In this handout image from the Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management dated January 14, 2024, billowing smoke and flowing lava are seen during a volcanic eruption on the outskirts of the evacuated town of Grindavik in western Iceland. Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection/AFP via Getty Images
The eruption followed an “intense” series of earthquakes that began around 3 a.m. near the site where a volcano erupted in December, the Met office said.
“At the time of publication, over 200 earthquakes have been measured in the area and seismicity has shifted towards the city of Grindavík,” weather officials said in a statement released before the eruption.
Rising smoke from a volcanic eruption is seen as a police car blocks the road north of the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik on January 14, 2024. Sergei Gapon/AFP via Getty Images
The earthquakes occurred in the Sundhnúksgígar crater, an area north of the city. The largest quake recorded was a magnitude 3.5 quake just after 4 a.m., the Met said.
Preliminary data showed the eruption occurred on Sunday southeast of Hagafell, a mountain on the Reykjanes peninsula, the Met said.
About 4,000 residents of Grindavík were evacuated in November when tens of thousands of earthquakes shook the region. These tremors suggested a high probability of an eruption, Met officials said at the time.
Lava flows in southwest Iceland on Sunday, January 14, 2024, in this image taken and published by Icelandic Civil Protection
Some residents had returned in recent weeks as the government worked to build a mile-long seawall to protect the city from future outbreaks.
That city was again ordered to evacuate on Saturday, officials said in a statement ahead of Sunday's eruption.
As the lava flowed toward the city, workers could be seen moving construction equipment out of the way.
“The city has already been successfully evacuated overnight and there is no threat to human life, although infrastructure may be at risk,” said President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson said on social media. “No flight disruptions.”