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ReykjavikA volcano erupted near Iceland’s capital on Monday, the country’s meteorological office said, marking the third time in two years that lava flows have occurred in the area.
Local media footage shows a huge cloud of smoke rising from the ground as well as a large lava flow at the site about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Reykjavík.
According to an AFP correspondent, smoke can be seen from the road connecting the capital with the international airport, with cars stopped and photos taken.
“The explosion occurs in a small depression north Little Ares The Meteorological Office said that the smoke is rising from it in a northwest direction, “Little Ram”.
“There are three fissures with lava basically running in all directions,” Thorvaldur Thordarsonprofessor at volcanology in University of Icelandtold AFP.
He added that the cracks in total are between 200 and 300 meters long and “they are of low intensity and volcanic eruption”.
This means that it “does not cause large scale threats due to explosive activity” but that “if the explosion continues long enough, it could pose a threat to infrastructure”.
Thousands of small earthquakes were recorded in the area in the week before the eruption, indicating that magma underground was moving and an eruption was imminent.
The Icelandic authorities advised against going to the site, which is located in rough terrain with no road contact, before assessing the situation.
Magma penetrated the Earth around 1640 GMT, just a few kilometers from two previous volcanic eruptions in the past two years.
The first was on March 19, 2021 in the Geldadalur Valley and lasted six months, while the second took place on August 3, 2022 in the Meradalir Valley, and lasted three weeks.
Before the 2021 eruption, the region had been dormant for eight centuries, but volcanologists believe that the new cycle of increased activity could last several years.
The excessive explosions that had occurred in this area so far weren’t very dangerous, and had no effect on air traffic.
The 2021 and 2022 eruptions drew hundreds of thousands of visitors hoping for a rare glimpse of an active volcano.
The eruption could last anywhere from “a few days” to more than half a year as in 2021, Thordarson said, or even longer.
Iceland has 33 volcanic systems that are currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. It erupts every five years on average.
North Atlantic Island lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack on the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
In April 2010, around 100,000 flights were cancelled, leaving more than 10 million passengers stranded, following the massive eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
Other volcanoes, such as Askja in the uninhabited highlands of central Iceland, have shown signs of activity recently.
One of the most dangerous volcanoes in the country is Katla, near the southern coast. It last erupted in 1918, with unusually long pauses indicating an imminent awakening.
Some experts consider the eruption of Laki volcano in the south of the island in 1783 to be the most destructive in Iceland’s history, causing the largest ecological, social and economic disaster.
Between 50 and 80 percent of Iceland’s livestock were killed, resulting in a famine that left a quarter of the country’s population dead.
The meteorological impact of the eruption had ramifications for several years, with some experts suggesting that it may have played a role in sparking the French Revolution.
Local media footage shows a huge cloud of smoke rising from the ground as well as a large lava flow at the site about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Reykjavík.
According to an AFP correspondent, smoke can be seen from the road connecting the capital with the international airport, with cars stopped and photos taken.
“The explosion occurs in a small depression north Little Ares The Meteorological Office said that the smoke is rising from it in a northwest direction, “Little Ram”.
“There are three fissures with lava basically running in all directions,” Thorvaldur Thordarsonprofessor at volcanology in University of Icelandtold AFP.
He added that the cracks in total are between 200 and 300 meters long and “they are of low intensity and volcanic eruption”.
This means that it “does not cause large scale threats due to explosive activity” but that “if the explosion continues long enough, it could pose a threat to infrastructure”.
Thousands of small earthquakes were recorded in the area in the week before the eruption, indicating that magma underground was moving and an eruption was imminent.
The Icelandic authorities advised against going to the site, which is located in rough terrain with no road contact, before assessing the situation.
Magma penetrated the Earth around 1640 GMT, just a few kilometers from two previous volcanic eruptions in the past two years.
The first was on March 19, 2021 in the Geldadalur Valley and lasted six months, while the second took place on August 3, 2022 in the Meradalir Valley, and lasted three weeks.
Before the 2021 eruption, the region had been dormant for eight centuries, but volcanologists believe that the new cycle of increased activity could last several years.
The excessive explosions that had occurred in this area so far weren’t very dangerous, and had no effect on air traffic.
The 2021 and 2022 eruptions drew hundreds of thousands of visitors hoping for a rare glimpse of an active volcano.
The eruption could last anywhere from “a few days” to more than half a year as in 2021, Thordarson said, or even longer.
Iceland has 33 volcanic systems that are currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. It erupts every five years on average.
North Atlantic Island lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack on the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
In April 2010, around 100,000 flights were cancelled, leaving more than 10 million passengers stranded, following the massive eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
Other volcanoes, such as Askja in the uninhabited highlands of central Iceland, have shown signs of activity recently.
One of the most dangerous volcanoes in the country is Katla, near the southern coast. It last erupted in 1918, with unusually long pauses indicating an imminent awakening.
Some experts consider the eruption of Laki volcano in the south of the island in 1783 to be the most destructive in Iceland’s history, causing the largest ecological, social and economic disaster.
Between 50 and 80 percent of Iceland’s livestock were killed, resulting in a famine that left a quarter of the country’s population dead.
The meteorological impact of the eruption had ramifications for several years, with some experts suggesting that it may have played a role in sparking the French Revolution.
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