The volcanic eruption that started on Wednesday is already the sixth eruption in the same area in a short time.
29.5. 17:45•Updated 29.5. 19:54
Another volcanic eruption has been detected in Iceland, the country’s public broadcaster said RUV says.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the eruption has started again in the Sundhnúk region in the southwestern parts of the country. This is the fifth time since last December that a volcanic eruption has occurred in the same area. The previous eruption, which started in mid-March, ended less than three weeks ago.
Due to the eruption, residents of the port town of Grindavik, south of Sundhnúk, have been ordered to evacuate.
In addition to the residents, the geothermal Blue Lagoon spa and the Svartseng power plant located near the volcano have also been emptied.
The operation of Keflavik Airport has not been affected by the eruption.
The facility says that the cloud that arose from the eruption rose to a height of about 3.5 kilometers in the initial phase of the eruption. According to the Icelandic media, the fissure has expanded to more than three kilometers in length since the beginning of the eruption.
According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, hundreds of earthquakes had been detected in the vicinity of the eruption area in recent days.
The lava eruption is stronger than the previous eruption in March. Seismologist Björn Lund says the news agency TT that the amount of magma can have big effects.
– There is a risk that the lava will flow down towards the village of Grindavik and the Svartseng power plant, he said.
Grindavik has been quiet in recent months, as most of its approximately 4,000 residents have not returned to the village since the evacuation last November. In the January eruption, lava flowed into the streets of Grindavik, engulfing three houses. However, the most persistent residents returned to the areas of the village that are less prone to lava.
As of March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula had not erupted for eight centuries. Now experts believe that a new season of seismic activity has begun in the area.