Copenhagen, Nov 21 (EFE).- A volcanic eruption was spewing lava on Iceland’s southwest Reykjanes peninsula on Thursday, the seventh eruption of the year.
A lava field covering a road following a volcano eruption, near Hagafell in the Reykjanes Peninsula, Southwestern Iceland, 17 March 2024. EFE-EPA FILE/Anton Brink
The peninsula, situated some 30 km (20 miles) southwest of capital Reykjavik, saw its most recent eruption end on Sep. 6.
The eruption started between Mt Stóra-Skógfell and Mt Sýlingarfell shortly before midnight Wednesday after a series of small earthquakes, the country’s meteorological agency reported.
The eruptive fissure was on Thursday morning about 3 kilometers long with lava flowing both eastward and westward, reaching about 500 meters from Grindavíkurvegur to the west, the country’s meteorological office reported.
The nearby town of Grindavik has been evacuated again, as has the Blue Lagoon, the popular tourist attraction near the international airport of Keflavik, which has not been affected.
The eruption is «significantly smaller» than the previous one, with the lava flowing an estimated 1,300 cubic meters per second, compared to the 2,500 in August.
«The activity in the eruption appears to have peaked. The fissure seems to have stopped expanding, and based on measurements (…) there are no indications that the activity will increase,» the agency’s latest report Thursday morning said.
This is the seventh volcanic eruption in the area since December 2023. In all of them, only material damage has been recorded. EFE
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