After several days of more intense seismic activity than usual, Iceland’s Fagradalsfjall volcano, located on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland, about 40 kilometers from the capital Reykjavik, erupted on Wednesday. Lava began pouring out of a crevasse into an uninhabited valley, attracting residents and tourists with its spectacular eruption. The local civil protection agency has recommended that people avoid the area due to the risk of toxic gases being released into the atmosphere. So far, however, no accidents have been registered and no particular risks of damage or inconvenience have been reported.
VIDEO: An eruption began Wednesday in Iceland near the capital Reykjavik, spewing glowing lava and plumes of smoke from a fissure in Meradalir, an uninhabited valley near Mount Fagradalsfjall where an eruption last year lasted six months pic.twitter.com/xQ1H7rNW07
– AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 4, 2022
The Fagradalsfjall volcano also erupted in March 2021 and lasted about six months until September. Before that, it had been dormant for over 6,000 years. As in this case, the eruption was anticipated even then by increased volcanic activity and tens of thousands of small earthquakes in the region.
Although earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are very common in Iceland – as the island lies on the junction between two tectonic plates – the North American and the Eurasian – they did not occur in this area around 800 years ago.
(AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)
Local authorities have imposed a flight ban over the outbreak area; However, as stipulated by the Icelandic Meteorological Authority, the passage of helicopters is allowed to keep the situation under control.
For the time being, however, Reykjavik Airport remains open and operational, and so far no exceptional inconvenience has been reported for flights arriving or departing from the country.
(AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)
The volcanoes of this area of Iceland are effusive and non-explosive, that is, the lava flow occurs by streams, without large explosions and resulting tall columns of gas, ash, and lapilli. These are the eruptions that Icelanders refer to as “for tourists” because, with the right precautions, they can be seen safely from relatively close range.
Many people will remember the eruption of the Eyjafjöll volcano in April 2010, creating a huge cloud of smoke and ash that blocked air traffic in Europe for several days.
(AP Photo/Marco Di Marco)