Iceland: A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted, spouting smoke and lava over a vast swath of land, just weeks after nearly 4,000 people in a nearby town were ordered to evacuate due to strong seismic activity.
“At 22:17 this evening, a volcanic eruption began north of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula,” Iceland’s Meteorological Office remarked.
The live-streamed footage of the eruption showed flaming orange lava rising into the night sky and a plume of red smoke surrounding it.
“A Coast Guard helicopter will take off shortly to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption,” the IMO said.
Following thousands of tiny earthquakes that shook the area about 40 km (25 miles) south of the capital Reykjavik, forcing the evacuation of the fishing town of Grindavik and the closure of the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, Iceland has been placed on high alert for a possible eruption.
According to the Met Office, the earth’s surface fissure was roughly 3.5 kilometres (2.1 miles) long and had widened quickly.
Icelandic seismologist, Ms. Kristin Jonsdottir, told the public broadcaster RUV that between 100 and 200 cubic metres (3,530 to 7,060 cubic feet) of lava emerged per second, several times more than in previous eruptions in the area.
Local police said they had raised their alert level as a result of the outbreak and the country’s civil defence warned the public not to approach the area while emergency personnel assessed the situation.
Southwest of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is a volcanic and seismic hotspot called Reykjanes.
A 500–750 metre (1,640–2,460 foot) long fissure in the ground caused the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system to erupt in lava fountains in March 2021.
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