Latest news with #Grindavík


The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Iceland volcano eruption live: Huge wall of fire expands to the north as gas cloud heads towards airport
The volcanic fissure that opened up in Iceland late on Tuesday has now expanded, and stretches further north than at any time since 2023. Lava and toxic gas continue to spill from the latest eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Officials say the crack in the ground measures some 2.4 kilometres, with fresh lava now covering 3.2 square kilometres. A large sulfur dioxide gas cloud is blowing toward Keflavík International Airport. Authorities have told people nearby to stay indoors and keep their windows shut as pollution levels rise. Despite this, flights are running normally and the airport remains open. Nearby towns, the popular Blue Lagoon spa, and other tourist sites were evacuated as a safety measure. Grindavík, a town evacuated last year, remains largely empty. This marks the twelfth eruption in the area since 2021 and is part of a growing sequence of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began when dormant systems were reactivated after centuries of silence. Lava flow continues but has decreased in intensity, says IMO Iceland's Sundhnúkur crater continued this morning, though officials say there is a slowdown in both lava flows and earthquakes. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the main fissure, which opened northeast of Stóra Skógfell early yesterday, has elongated and now extends further north than any since late 2023. Lava is mostly accumulating to the east, spreading across low-lying areas and covering about 3.2 square kilometres according to the latest satellite imagery. Volcanic tremor and seismic activity have dropped significantly since the initial outburst, with only a few minor quakes recorded per hour. "The eruption is ongoing, but intensity has declined since this morning," the IMO said in its latest update. However, hazardous gases and wildfires remain a serious risk for communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula, it said. High concentrations of sulfur dioxide are being measured over the region, extending westward on strong southeast winds. Residents in towns including Reykjanesbær, Vogar and Sandgerði were warned to keep windows closed, turn off ventilation, and stay indoors during high pollution periods. Stuti Mishra17 July 2025 07:56 Lava flows from wall of fire during volcanic eruption in Iceland Stuti Mishra17 July 2025 07:46 Evacuation went smoothly, police say Police commissioner Margret Palsdottir told AP 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. Stuti Mishra17 July 2025 07:12 Recent eruptions in Iceland Today's eruption near Sundhnúkur crater is the 12th since volcanic activity reawakened on the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021, ending nearly 800 years of geological silence in the a quick look at the most recent eruptions in the same system: Dec 2023: A powerful fissure eruption near Hagafell led to the first full evacuation of Grindavík and triggered widespread ground deformation. Jan 2024: Lava breached defences, destroying homes and killing one person in a ground collapse. Feb 2024: A short but intense eruption cut off hot-water pipelines, causing major disruption in the region. Mar–May 2024: The longest and most voluminous eruption so far, lasting 54 days and producing 35 million cubic metres of lava. May–June 2024: Another eruption followed, keeping the region under continuous alert. Nov–Dec 2024: Lava reached the Blue Lagoon car park during a fissure event, prompting mass evacuations once again. Alexander Butler17 July 2025 03:00 Full story: Iceland volcano erupts opening up 1km-long fissure A volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsulaerupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021. The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík, a luxury hotel, and the popular Blue Lagoon spa, Icelandicauthorities said. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said magma pushed through the earth's crust, opening a fissure estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 metres long. Tourists evacuated as Iceland volcano erupts opening up 1km-long fissure Eruption sent glowing lava and columns of smoke into air, with dramatic footage showing orange flows lighting up the dark volcanic landscape Alexander Butler17 July 2025 02:00 Evacuations ordered in Grindavík The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík. However, the town has been almost empty for months. Authorities first ordered a full evacuation of the town in November 2023 after seismic activity and land deformation signalled a high risk of magma movement beneath the area. A fissure eruption in December caused structural damage to roads and buildings. Subsequent eruptions in January and February 2024 led to further destruction, including the collapse of homes and the death of one person due to ground cracking. Although some residents briefly returned during calmer periods, the area has remained largely off-limits. Alexander Butler17 July 2025 00:01 Evacuations ordered in Grindavík The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík. However, the town has been almost empty for months. Authorities first ordered a full evacuation of the town in November 2023 after seismic activity and land deformation signalled a high risk of magma movement beneath the area. A fissure eruption in December caused structural damage to roads and buildings. Subsequent eruptions in January and February 2024 led to further destruction, including the collapse of homes and the death of one person due to ground cracking. Although some residents briefly returned during calmer periods, the area has remained largely off-limits. Alexander Butler16 July 2025 23:00 What makes Iceland so volcanically active? Iceland sits directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart. This geological hotspot fuels regular volcanic and seismic activity. The Reykjanes Peninsula, now erupting again, had been dormant for 800 years before reawakening in 2021. Alexander Butler16 July 2025 22:00 This is what we know so far about the Sundhnúkur eruption in Iceland A volcanic eruption began early on Wednesday near Sundhnúkur crater on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest Iceland. Lava is flowing from a fissure estimated to be 700–1,000 metres long, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). Authorities evacuated Grindavík, the nearby Blue Lagoon resort, and surrounding areas as a safety measure. No infrastructure has been damaged so far, and there is currently no threat to populated areas. The eruption has not affected flights at Keflavík International Airport, operations are continuing as normal. This marks the 12th eruption in the Reykjanes region since 2021, part of a prolonged volcanic cycle. Experts warn that similar eruptions may continue in the region over the coming months or years. Alexander Butler16 July 2025 21:00 This is the 12th eruption in the region since 2021 The latest eruption is part of a broader pattern of seismic activity that reawakened the Reykjanes Peninsula in 2021 after centuries of dormancy. Since then, the area has seen repeated volcanic events, with fissure eruptions now becoming a near-annual phenomenon. Alexander Butler16 July 2025 20:00


The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Iceland volcano live: Hotels and Blue Lagoon evacuated as eruption sends clouds of gas towards Grindivik
A volcano on Iceland 's Reykjanes Peninsula erupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke into the air in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021. Authorities have evacuated families, hotel guests, and tourists from Grindavík, the nearby Blue Lagoon resort, and other surrounding areas as a precaution. The eruption in the Sundhnúkur volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began early Wednesday, is the 12th since volcanic activity reawakened in the region in 2021. According to Iceland's meteorological office, magma forced through the crust opened a fissure between 700 and 1,000m long. '(It does) not threaten any infrastructure at this time,' the office said, adding that GPS and deformation data suggest it was a relatively small eruption. Grindavík, which once housed nearly 4,000 people, was evacuated last year and remains largely empty due to ongoing volcanic risk. Despite the dramatic lava flows, no disruption to flights at Keflavík airport has been reported. The eruption is the latest in a growing sequence of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began when dormant systems were reactivated in 2021 after centuries of silence. Stuti Mishra16 July 2025 09:06


The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Blue Lagoon spa evacuated over volcanic eruption risk
A volcano on Iceland 's Reykjanes Peninsula erupted on Wednesday, marking the twelfth such event in the region since 2021. The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík, a luxury hotel, and the popular Blue Lagoon spa. The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported that magma opened a fissure estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 metres long, characterising it as a relatively small fissure eruption. Authorities stated the eruption does not currently threaten any infrastructure, and flights at Keflavík airport, located 20km away, were unaffected. Experts warn that this is part of a new volcanic cycle, suggesting the Reykjanes Peninsula could face periodic eruptions for decades or even centuries.


The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Tourists evacuated as Iceland volcano erupts opening up 1km-long fissure
A volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021. The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík, a luxury hotel, and the popular Blue Lagoon spa, Icelandic authorities said. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said magma pushed through the earth's crust, opening a fissure estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 metres long. The eruption sent glowing lava and columns of smoke into the air, with dramatic footage showing orange flows lighting up the dark volcanic landscape. The outbreaks, known as fissure eruptions, are characterised by lava flows emerging from long cracks in the earth's crust, rather than from a central crater. '(It does) not threaten any infrastructure at this time,' the IMO said in a statement. 'Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this was a relatively small eruption.' Despite the low immediate risk, authorities moved swiftly to evacuate areas near the site. According to Iceland's public broadcaster RUV, guests were relocated from the Blue Lagoon resort and residents were cleared from Grindavík. The town, once home to nearly 4,000 people, was evacuated in 2023 and has remained largely deserted ever since, due to repeated volcanic activity and earthquake threats. Flights at Keflavík airport, about 20km away, were not affected, and no major disruption to air traffic was reported. The eruption is the latest in a growing sequence of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began when dormant systems were reactivated in 2021 after centuries of silence. Experts warn the region could now face periodic eruptions for decades or even centuries. 'This is part of a new volcanic cycle,' the IMO has previously said, referring to the Reykjanes system, where magma often emerges through long surface fissures rather than traditional crater eruptions. While past eruptions in the region have not ejected large volumes of ash into the stratosphere, the frequent lava flows and associated tremors continue to pose risks to infrastructure, geothermal plants, and communities in southwest Iceland.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Fighting with nature': Iceland's Grindavík play again after 18-month seismic gap
It was about 7pm when UMF Grindavík's players finished training in the club's indoor hall. There had been seismic activity in the area all day but, in this harbour town to the south of Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon, everybody had become wearily used to that. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions had been a discomfiting, menacing backdrop to the previous three years. Everyday life had continued but now, on 10 November 2023, nature was to have its say. Four hours after its football team had completed their session, the danger had become intolerable and Grindavík was evacuated. Their once-thriving home quickly turned into a ghost town. Nobody would dream of using the hall for football now. Its pitch is cleaved in two by a fissure up to 25 metres deep; one of the most striking images in a settlement that has been ripped apart. A chasm has destroyed their outdoor practice pitch too. But something remarkable will happen in Grindavík on Saturday: football will lead the way in a recovery few could have foreseen over the past 18 months. Grindavík will play at their Stakkavíkurvöllur home for the first time since the town's abandonment, hosting Fjölnir in a second-tier fixture whose outcome feels distinctly secondary. Advertisement Haukur Guðberg Einarsson never lost faith that Grindavík would return, not even when eight more eruptions ravaged the surrounding area and hampered any attempts to rebuild. 'That's been my mission every day and every night,' says the club chair, whose lifelong involvement there began as a player. 'I've been fighting with nature but never gave up: never, ever.' Residents were allowed to visit Grindavík in the weeks after evacuation, restricted to a few minutes in which they could gather belongings. 'I had to focus on my family first,' Einarsson says. 'Then I turned to the football club. For about three weeks I travelled back and forth in bad winter conditions. I had to save the club and put it somewhere.' Grindavík were initially housed by Víkingur Reykjavík. 'They kept us alive,' Einarsson says. 'We were just freefalling and they grabbed us.' A number of other local clubs assisted too, although games were sparsely attended. 'People were mentally not good,' he continues. The town's economy had been decimated: the club lost 40% of its sponsors and Einarsson was among hundreds to lose their jobs as companies shut down. It did, at least, mean he could devote more time to his obsession. Grindavík needed to be home, at the picturesque Stakkavíkurvöllur, whose main surface had miraculously avoided destruction, as soon as it was deemed safe. 'I had to talk with the government, lots of meetings with the police, lots of experts who had to check whether everything was OK under the pitch,' he says. 'We don't want to take people if it's not 150% safe. Many times we had to take one step forward and two steps back: you'd try to work and then we'd be told another eruption was coming and have to leave again. We were working, testing and waiting for what nature was going to do next.' Advertisement When the latest eruption, as recently as 1 April, sent lava spewing towards the town, Einarsson feared his quest was destined to fail. 'I thought it was the last time I would ever see the pitch,' he says. But it stopped short and, on Monday, Stakkavíkurvöllur was given the all-clear. Geophysical surveys showed the renovated venue was not at risk and up to 1,500 supporters could attend on Saturday. There will be a concert, children's entertainment, food stands and the sense of a community reuniting around one of its most precious institutions. 'This is a huge, huge thing for us in Grindavík,' Einarsson says. 'It was very special to be told we can play. It's very hard for me to explain my feelings about this. Everything I own, all of my life, is Grindavík.' It does not mean Grindavík will return immediately to its old self. While the town has been back open since late October, only about 40 houses are occupied. Many dwellings are ruined beyond repair. The football club are an advance party of hope, of promise that better times will eventually arrive. 'There are people that can't go back, or won't because they are scared or heartbroken,' he says. 'It's going to take many years to build Grindavík up again.' The squad have been training at Stakkavíkurvöllur over the past month; recently they have conspicuously taken post-session meals at a nearby pizza restaurant that has reopened. They wanted to be seen out and about, presenting a vision of normality away from the field. But there are reminders of the surreal, terrifying context in every glance: the club's biggest sponsor, whose name is emblazoned on their shirts, has built the 12-metre high defence walls that now circle the town to prevent it being overwhelmed by lava flow. Advertisement Grindavík, who count the former Manchester United and England winger Lee Sharpe among their alumni, have a proud history and will seek a return to the Úrvalsdeild, Iceland's top flight, one day. A young side, largely rebuilt with academy players, they are unlikely to achieve that this season but are about to accomplish something far bigger. The people of Grindavík may still have to reckon with a traumatic past, but they can see a beacon to the future. 'We start step by step,' Einarsson says. 'It will be OK. With a big heart and all the will in the world, it's possible that Grindavík will be alive again.'