After weeks of anticipation, a volcanic eruption in Iceland’s most populated area sent lava spewing into the night sky late Monday and sent authorities into action mode Tuesday. The eruption, which was larger than volcanologists predicted, occurred not far from an evacuated town and a power plant.
Iceland is no stranger to volcanic eruptions, and authorities moved quickly to reassure the public that there was no immediate threat to life. “We are ready and remain vigilant,” President Gudni Johannesson wrote on social platform X.
They also stressed that travel was not affected – an obvious attempt to ward off concerns of a repeat of 2010, when a cloud of ash from another eruption in Iceland clouded flights across Europe.
Here’s what to know about the eruption.
What happened?
The eruption began late Monday, with fountains of lava pouring from a fissure within the volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s most populous region and home to its capital, Reykjavik. Helicopter video shared by Iceland’s Civil Defense showed steam rising from a glowing, steaming river of lava.
Volcanologists initially said the eruption occurred in one of the worst possible locations. The fissure, which is about 2.5 miles long, is not far from the Svartsengi power plant, a geothermal facility that supplies hot water to the entire peninsula. And this is less than two miles from Grindavik, a town of more than 3,500 evacuated last month after increased seismic activity sparked concerns that an eruption was likely.
But after flying over the site of the eruption, volcanologists said the immediate situation appeared less dire than at first.
Are people at risk?
Volcanologists note that the direction of lava flow is unpredictable. Although the Icelandic Meteorological Office said Tuesday afternoon that the intensity of the eruption “continues to decrease,” with the flow estimated to be about a quarter of what it was initially, it was not immediately clear how long this would last.
“The fact that the activity is already decreasing is not an indication of how long the eruption will last, but rather that the eruption is reaching a state of equilibrium,” the Meteorological Office said in a statement.
But because the affected area had previously been evacuated, the eruption “does not pose an immediate threat to people,” Iceland’s tourist board said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The area is closed to traffic, and the risk to nearby energy infrastructure is being assessed, the Icelandic government added to a statement.
However, authorities have warned against getting too close, with Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, a spokesperson for the Department of Civil Protection, stressing that it is “no tourist volcano.”
And the Meteorological Office said some gas pollution could be detected in the capital later on Tuesday as a result of the explosion.
Does it affect travel and tourism?
Icelandic authorities have raised the aviation alert in orangeas ash from volcanic eruptions can pose a danger to aircraft flying over the North Atlantic.
But as of Tuesday morning, all flights to and from the country were running on schedule, according to a statement from Iceland’s tourist board. It was also noted that previous explosions in the area did not affect air travel.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said it was “closely” monitoring the situation and stood “ready to take any action if necessary.”
But Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at Britain’s Lancaster University, said “lava dominated” fissure eruptions like this tend to “produce little or no ash.”
The eruption surprised some in Iceland, as concerns over an imminent eruption had subsided in recent days. The nearby tourist meeca, the Blue Lagoon, which was closed in November due to earthquake activity linked to potential volcanic eruptions, reopened to visitors on Sunday.
On Tuesday morning, the site released a statement saying it will once again close temporarily.
In general, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, the country’s infrastructure minister, told RUV, the national broadcaster“Looks like we got lucky,” added, “I hope that continues.”
Scientists will take measurements to try to see if new underground magma is flowing toward the eruption site. That could determine whether it’s likely to end in days or take weeks, according to Mr. McGarvie.
“One aspect of major concern is where the lava will go,” he said via email. “Anywhere north helps the evacuated town of Grindavík.”
Right now, the lava appears to be flowing in the best possible direction, Iceland’s prime minister, Katrin Jakobsdottir, told RUV. But “this can change at short notice,” he added.
How often do volcanic eruptions occur in Iceland?
Volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, which has fewer than 400,000 residents and about 130 volcanoes. In the past two years alone, there have been four eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the scene of the latest eruption and home to about two-thirds of Iceland’s population.
One of the most memorable eruptions in Iceland involved the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010. Although it was relatively small and caused no fatalities, the impact was widespread as the resulting ash cloud grounded most of the trip on the skies of Europe for more than a week.
Iceland straddles two tectonic plates, itself divided by an underwater mountain chain spewing molten hot rock.
Earthquakes occur when magma pushes against the plates, and starting in late October, an increase in seismic activity was seen, with tens of thousands of earthquakes reported on the Reykjanes Peninsula. At one point there were as many as 1,400 in a single 24 hours.
That raised concerns that a significant eruption was imminent. But when Grindavik was ordered to evacuate on Nov. 11, authorities said the country was “fully prepared.”
“Iceland has one of the most effective volcanic preparedness measures in the world,” Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said on its website.
