According to seismologist Heidi Soosalu, who was interviewed on ‘s morning programs, there have been several lucky accidents in the situation.
In the night between Monday and Tuesday, dramatic images were transmitted from Iceland, when a volcano began to erupt in the southwestern part of the country on the Reykjanes peninsula. The eruption started on Monday after ten in the evening local time.
A seismologist from the Geological Research Center of Estonia who studied the lava fields in Iceland Heidi Soosalun according to the eruption is quite large.
– This is clearly a bigger eruption than there has been in the neighboring volcanic system in the last three years. A four-kilometer-long crack has opened in the ground, from which lava is pouring out, Soosalun, who was interviewed in morning and Ykkösaamu, said.
Even though Iceland had been preparing for a crisis since the fall, the events now progressed quickly.
– The earthquakes warning of the eruption started less than two hours before the internet cameras saw that something was glowing in the dark.
The lava seems to flow in a safe direction
Near the eruption site are, for example, the fishing town of Grindavik, the Svartseng power plant and the Blue Lagoon spa. However, the Icelandic authorities have evacuated all these places in good time, as there has been a lot of seismic activity in the area since the end of October.
According to the information at the moment, the damage to property is also going to be minimal. Lava flows in a northerly direction, where there are deserts and old lava fields, where new lava has room to erupt.
On the other hand, the gases released from the eruption and especially the sulfur compounds can cause problems.
– If there are respiratory problems, it might be a health risk and it would be better to stay inside, Soosalu said.
At the moment, however, the winds are blowing in such directions that the gas clouds do not come directly over the villages and towns.
Flights were only temporarily suspended
Iceland’s volcanoes will certainly come to mind for many, how the ash of the volcano that erupted in the spring of 2010 badly messed up air traffic in Northern Europe.
According to Soosalu, a similar situation is unlikely to be seen in connection with this eruption.
– In a fissure eruption, it is typical that very fluid lava and gases come out. However, there are no processes there that would cause large ash clouds. This too is like luck in an accident.
When the eruption began, Keflavík International Airport was briefly closed as a precaution. However, flights continued after the situation was reassessed.