Another volcanic eruption at the gates of Grindavík (Iceland) confirms one of the worst scenarios predicted by geologists since the city was evacuated on November 10.
In the first hours of the activity, a large fissure four kilometers long was formed, a line of magma clearly visible from the capital, which is about 40 kilometers away.
Geophysicist Björn Oddson has confirmed to the Icelandic national television RÚV that, at the moment, the flow is not heading towards Grindavík, although it is about three kilometers from this urban center.
The authorities have declared a state of emergency, and the main unknown is how the eruption will behave in the next hours or days, since the fissure could open in other places or could cause a central exit point, as it has happened in the eruptions of the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years.
In fact, this is the fourth time that there has been volcanic activity in this region of the island since March 2021. As this is a non-central volcanic system, each of these times magma has reached the surface in different places.
The international airport of Keflavík, located about 20 kilometers from Grindavík, continued operations as normal yesterday, although Isavia, responsible for air navigation in the country, warns passengers of the eruption and invites them to consult the sources of official information in case there is any change in the situation.
The fact that the eruption started above sea level is good news for aviation, as the volcano is not producing much ash at the moment and the wind is not blowing it towards the airport.
If the lava reaches the Atlantic, the scenario could change significantly, but with the current information there is nothing to indicate that this episode could result in a scenario similar to the one in 2010, when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano stopped the traffic air over much of Europe for a few days.
Last night, hundreds of onlookers traveled to road number 41, which connects Keflavík Airport with Reykjavík, to observe an amazing natural spectacle.
From one of the busiest roads in the country, the lava fountains formed on the Sundhnúk plain and east of the Hágafell mountain were clearly visible. This last case has been the beginning of an eruption with the largest volume of magma since the Reykjanes peninsula presented volcanic activity after almost eight centuries without causing any eruption.
In the neighborhoods of the south coast of the capital, residents also gathered to photograph a large source of red light that filled the sky with infernal colors. The volume of magma in the first moments of the eruption exceeded one hundred cubic meters per second, a figure much higher than the activity of recent years.
This volcanic eruption was the second in Reykjanes this year, after the earth opened at Litli Hrútur on July 10. The latest reports indicate that neither the Svartsengi geothermal power plant nor any major roads in the area are in immediate danger. .
