The spectacular volcanic eruption, which occurred on Monday in Grindavik, southwest of the Icelandic capital, appears to be decreasing in intensity.
The volcanic eruption in Iceland decreases in intensity along the four kilometer fault which opened on Monday southwest of Reykjavik after weeks of seismic activity.
This new eruption, the fourth in two years, took place three kilometers from a small town of 4,000 inhabitants, Grindavik, evacuated since November 11 after the declaration of a state of emergency in the region following a major accumulation of magma.
The Svarstengi geothermal power plant, which provides electricity and water to around 30,000 residents in the region, is two kilometers west of the eruption. Authorities have built a protective wall around the facility since November.
The eruption began on Monday following an earthquakeaccording to the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO).
“The eruption continues to weaken. New aerial images of the area show that there are now three vents erupting southeast of Stóra-Skógfell, compared to five previously.”indicates the IMO, which however anticipates new lava outflows along the fissure.
Following the Sundhnúksgíga eruption, “the land in Svartsengi has subsided by more than 5 cm. Previously, the land had risen by about 35 cm since the formation of the magma channel on November 10”adds the institute.
Live-streamed footage of the eruption showed jets of bright orange lava spilling from a fault, surrounded by clouds of red smoke against the sky.
“Beautiful and terrifying”
The fissure is about four kilometers long, much longer than during the last eruption of the summer.
“At the moment there are no disruptions to arrivals or departures at Keflavik Airport”Icelandic airport operator ISAVIA said overnight on its website, traffic being relatively low at this late hour.
The head of civil protection and emergency management in Iceland Vídir Reynisson warned that this new eruption “is not a tourist eruption and you have to observe it from a very far distance”on local public television RUV.
Tourists gathered Tuesday evening on a hill beside the closed road leading to the town of Grindavík.
“It’s not the work of men, it’s really mother nature”estimates Leo Kill, a 31-year-old Korean tourist. “That’s why we feel so small, we can’t do anything in the face of this nature.”
“It’s terrifying and beautiful at the same time! I came here to see the fire from afar and take some photos”says Jimmy Nguyen, vacation consultant.
A new volcanic cycle?
All roads around Grindavík are closed and are expected to remain closed for the next few days, police announced on Facebook, specifying that the population is in no danger in the current state.
In 2021, 2022 and last July, volcanic eruptions, in an uninhabited area nearby, had become major tourist attractions, attracting nearly 680,000 visitors, according to the Icelandic Tourist Board.
In October, signs of soil swelling had been detected near the “Blue Lagoon”, famous hot baths with turquoise waters very popular with tourists. The site partially reopened on Sunday.
Until March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula, south of the capital Reykjavik, had been spared from eruptions for eight centuries.
Since then, there have been two others, in August 2022 and July 2023, a sign, for volcanologists, of a resumption of volcanic activity in the region.
Thirty-three volcanic systems are considered active in this land of fire and ice, the most volcanic region in Europe
In 2010, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, in the south of the island, had been the cause of the greatest disruption to air traffic in peacetime. A title since erased from the shelves by the Covid-19 pandemic.