Iceland has been on excessive alert for an eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula after weeks of intense seismic exercise.
A volcano in southwest Iceland has erupted, spewing lava and smoke throughout a large space weeks after almost 4,000 residents of a close-by town were evacuated amid intense seismic exercise.
“At 22:17 this night, a volcanic eruption started north of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula,” Iceland’s Meteorological Workplace stated on Monday.
The livestreamed footage of the eruption confirmed glowing orange lava rising into the evening sky, surrounded by billowing crimson smoke.
“A Coast Guard helicopter will take off shortly to substantiate the precise location and measurement of the eruption,” the IMO stated.
Iceland has been on excessive alert for a possible eruption after thousands of small earthquakes rattled the area about 40km (25 miles) south of the capital Reykjavik prompting the evacuation of the fishing town of Grindavik and the closure of the close by Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
The crack within the earth’s floor was about 3.5km (2.1 miles) lengthy and had grown quickly, the Met Workplace stated.
Some 100 to 200 cubic metres (3,530 to 7,060 cubic ft) of lava emerged per second, a number of instances greater than in earlier eruptions within the space, Icelandic seismologist Kristin Jonsdottir advised the general public broadcaster RUV.
Native police stated they’d raised their alert stage because of the outbreak and the nation’s civil defence warned the general public to not method the world whereas emergency personnel assessed the state of affairs.
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hotspot southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.
In March 2021, lava fountains erupted from a 500-750-metre-long (1,640-2,460-foot-long) fissure within the floor within the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
After Monday’s eruption, the Keflavik Worldwide Airport remained open, albeit with quite a few delays listed for arrivals and departures.
Iceland is residence to 33 energetic volcano techniques, the best quantity in Europe.
It straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack within the ocean flooring separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.