Iceland Volcano Eruption Forces Evacuation Of Town And Iconic Geothermal Spa
Some 100 people were evacuated from the town of Grindavik shortly after the seismic activity began. Tourists at a campsite and guests at the Blue Lagoon were forced to quickly pack their bags, RUV reported. Margrét Kristín Pálsdóttir, a local police commissioner, said the evacuation went smoothly and lasted about 90 minutes. 'Of course, people have different opinions on whether the evacuation is necessary, but it is a decision we make and take responsibility for,' she said.
Lava from the eruption is flowing southeast from a fissure in the barren landscape that is 700 to 1000 meters (2296 to 3280 feet) wide, but the molten rock isn't threatening any infrastructure, the Met Office said. Grindavik has been repeatedly affected by the activity since November 2023, when a volcano in the area came to life after lying dormant for some 800 years.
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Iceland Volcano Eruption Forces Evacuation Of Town And Iconic Geothermal Spa
A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland has once again forced the evacuation of local residents and the internationally known Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, the national broadcaster RUV reported. The eruption began around 4:00 a.m. Wednesday following an intense seismic swarm on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, Iceland's Met Office said. Some 100 people were evacuated from the town of Grindavik shortly after the seismic activity began. Tourists at a campsite and guests at the Blue Lagoon were forced to quickly pack their bags, RUV reported. Margrét Kristín Pálsdóttir, a local police commissioner, said the evacuation went smoothly and lasted about 90 minutes. 'Of course, people have different opinions on whether the evacuation is necessary, but it is a decision we make and take responsibility for,' she said. Lava from the eruption is flowing southeast from a fissure in the barren landscape that is 700 to 1000 meters (2296 to 3280 feet) wide, but the molten rock isn't threatening any infrastructure, the Met Office said. Grindavik has been repeatedly affected by the activity since November 2023, when a volcano in the area came to life after lying dormant for some 800 years.
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A volcano erupted on Wednesday in Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula in the southwest, weather authorities said, the ninth eruption to hit the region since the end of 2023. Live video feeds showed lava spewing out of a fissure in the ground, with the Icelandic Met Office saying that it began just before 4:00 am (0400 GMT). Broadcaster RUV reported that the nearby fishing village Grindavik had been evacuated, as had the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's famed tourist spot. The previous eruption to hit the area was in April. When the first volcanic eruption first hit the area in late 2023, most of Grindavik's 4,000 residents were evacuated, AFP reported. Since then, almost all of the houses have been sold to the state, and most of the residents have left. Volcanoes on the Reykjanes peninsula had not erupted for eight centuries when in March 2021 a period of heightened seismic activity began.
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A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Wednesday, the country's meteorological office said, marking the latest in a series of outbreaks near the capital in recent years. Often referred to as a land of ice and fire, the North Atlantic island nation — with its many glaciers and volcanoes — has now seen a dozen eruptions since geological systems on its Reykjanes Peninsula reactivated in 2021. The outbreaks, known as fissure eruptions, are characterized by lava flows emerging from long cracks in the earth's crust, rather than from a central crater. The Reykjanes eruptions have not so far posed a threat to the capital Reykjavik, nor have they caused significant dispersals of ash into the stratosphere, avoiding air traffic disruption. The nearby fishing town of Grindavik, home to nearly 4,000 residents before an evacuation order in 2023, however, remains mostly deserted due to the periodic threat from lava flows and related earthquakes. The Blue Lagoon luxury spa and the nearby Svartsengi thermal power station have also been at risk from lava in some of the previous eruptions. Experts have said the eruptions in the area could recur for decades, or even centuries. Iceland, which is roughly the size of the US state of Kentucky and has fewer than 400,000 residents, boasts more than 30 active volcanoes. That makes the northern European island a prime destination for volcano tourism — a niche segment that attracts thousands of thrill seekers every year to sites from Mexico and Guatemala, to Sicily, Indonesia, and New Zealand.
