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Volcano in Iceland erupts for fifth time since December

A volcano in southwestern Iceland sent radiant hot lava shooting more than 50 metres into the air on Wednesday, its 5th eruption since December and the most powerful one given that its volcanic system ended up being active three years earlier.

Authorities had actually alerted of the threat of restored volcanic activity in the location simply south of the capital Reykjavik as research studies revealed lava accumulated underground. The eruption began quickly after the end of an eight-week long eruption that occurred between Hagafell and Stora-Skogfell on the exact same Reykjanes peninsula.

The lava fountains reached 50 metres (164 feet) high and the length of the crack was around 3.4 km, Iceland's Met Office stated in a statement.

The very first assessment of scientists is that the start of this eruption is more powerful than in previous eruptions, the workplace stated.

Flights continued as usual at Reykjavik's Keflavik Airport, according to the airport's website.

The intense spectacle underlines the challenges faced by the island country of almost 400,000 people as scientists have alerted that repeated eruptions are possible in Reykjanes for decades or even centuries.

Wednesday's was the eighth eruption considering that 2021 on the peninsula, home to some 30,000 people, after geological systems that had actually lain dormant for 800 years ended up being active again.

It started as a very conventional fissure eruption with a. lot of lava water fountains and lava currently being spilled out, stated. Ari Trausti Gudmundsson, an Icelandic geophysicist.

The water fountain activity is generally most powerful in the. starting. It abates really gradually, and maybe in the next 24. hours, most of these lava fountains will slow, he stated, including. that the eruption could go on for days or weeks.

Such volcanic activity has interfered with district heating,. closed crucial roadways and took down a number of homes in the Grindavik. fishing town, to which only a few locals have returned given that. an evacuation in late 2023.

To avoid damage, manufactured barriers have actually been built to. steer lava away from facilities consisting of the Svartsengi. geothermal power plant, heaven Lagoon medical spa and Grindavik.

The fissure had actually reached less than a kilometer from the. defenses of Grindavik, the satisfied workplace said.

Iceland's civil defence was put on high alert, police said,. and authorities once again purchased an evacuation of Grindavik.

The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal medspa, known for its large. outdoor swimming pools, was shut and its guests left.

Homeowners describe Iceland as the Land of Fire and Ice - a. tribute to its transcendent landscape of mountain peaks, ice. fields and fjords, a seismic hotbed located in between the. Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

(source: Reuters)