A volcanic eruption started this Monday night north of Grindavik, in Iceland, after weeks of earthquakes that forced the population of Iceland’s second city to evacuate. The eruption has begun around 10 at night, with several previous earthquakes, some of intensity 4, and has generated high lava shots towards an already completely red sky.
The birth of a new eruption just now in Iceland. Fourth one in three years. Not a Disney tourist eruption this time, threatens the town of Grindavík, The Blue Lagoon and the HS Orka Geothermal plant. https://t.co/UXuNzh7bJV
— Andri Snær Magnason (@AndriMagnason) December 18, 2023
The affected area is the southeast of the island, between Sýlingarfell and Hagafell. A rift has opened, pointing towards Grindavik. The authorities have ordered the evacuation of Reykjanesbraut, which connects the airport with the capital, Reykjavík.
According to volcanologist Porvaldur Pórdarson to the RUV network, It is one of the worst possible places for the eruptionsome of whose jets reach 100 meters in height.
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Just four days ago, the Icelandic Meteorological Service did not comment on whether the accumulation of magma that the sensors had detected had stopped or continued to accumulate, which suggests that the eruption has taken the population and authorities by surprise, who have only had four hours to request the evacuation of the inhabitants of the area.
The level of deformation of the terrain had decreased in recent days, which raised doubts about whether the seismic activity that usually precedes the eruption of a new volcano had stopped.