New volcanic eruption in Iceland brings video of lava spewing from miles-long fissure on Reykjanes peninsula
Reykjavik — Icelandic authorities said Friday that a second fissure had formed on the southwestern Reykjanes peninsula after lava started spewing forth for the sixth time in the region since December. After weeks of warnings, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said Thursday that a new eruption had started at 9:26 p.m. (5:26 p.m. Eastern) that evening, following a series of earthquakes.
Video showed orange lava bursting out of a long fissure, which the IMO estimated to be 2.4 miles.
Early Friday, the IMO announced on social media that a second fissure had opened up to the north of the original one, but it said the volcanic activity mostly remained on the first crack.
had evacuated in November, prior to a December eruption, and while residents have since been allowed to return in between eruptions, only a few have opted to stay overnight.
Iceland’s volcano continues to spew lava, and eruption could last months
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According to the IMO, there was no lava flowing towards Grindavik in the latest eruption.
Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon thermal spa tourist attraction said late Thursday that it had taken “the precautionary measure of evacuating and temporarily closing all our operational units.”
The Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries until March 2021. Further eruptions occurred in August 2022 and in July and December 2023, leading volcanologists to warn that a new era of seismic activity had begun in the region.
Iceland is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe. It straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
Source: cbsnews.com