Twelfth volcanic eruption in four years felt in Iceland near capital | Volcanoes News

Residents within the close by fishing city of Grindavik and company at a luxurious geothermal spa resort are evacuated.

The Sundhnukur volcano has erupted close to Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, the twelfth volcanic eruption within the North Atlantic island nation since 2021, the Icelandic Meteorological Workplace says.

The company stated in an announcement on Wednesday morning that an eruptive fissure in southwestern Iceland is 700 to 1,000 metres (765 to 1,095 yards) lengthy.

“Lava is usually flowing to the southeast and isn’t approaching any infrastructure,” it added. “Based mostly on GPS measurements and deformation alerts, it’s possible that this was a comparatively small eruption.”

Dwell photos confirmed flows of lava and smoke being belched into the sky.

Individuals had been evacuated from the Blue Lagoon, a luxurious geothermal spa resort, and the close by fishing city of Grindavik, based on the general public broadcaster RUV, which quoted police.

Slightly than flowing from a central crater, lava from fissure eruptions like Wednesday’s seems from lengthy cracks within the Earth’s crust.

Iceland, which is also known as a land of ice and fireplace, has now recorded a dozen volcanic eruptions since geological methods on its Reykjanes Peninsula reactivated 4 years in the past.

The Reykjanes eruptions have up to now neither posed a menace to close by Reykjavik nor have they brought on air site visitors disruptions, in contrast to the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which grounded planes throughout Northern Europe for nearly per week.

Grindavik was house to nearly 4,000 folks earlier than an evacuation order was issued in 2023. Now, it’s primarily abandoned due to the specter of lava flows and associated earthquakes.

In early April, a volcanic eruption penetrated protective barriers near Grindavik, and the emergency providers evacuated its residents and people staying on the Blue Lagoon spa.

Consultants have stated eruptions on the peninsula might proceed for many years.

Yearly, Iceland, which has a inhabitants of practically 400,000 folks, attracts a whole bunch of 1000’s of tourists who come to discover its volcanic panorama.

In 2024, nearly 2.3 million foreigners travelled to the island, based on its vacationer board.