Icelandic Volcano Re-Awakens: Fourth Eruption in Three Months

A volcano in Iceland erupted on Saturday for the fourth time since December, spewing smoke and bright orange lava into the air in sharp contrast against the night sky. In a video shot from a Coast Guard helicopter and shown on public broadcaster RUV, fountains of molten rock soared from a long fissure in the ground. Lava spread rapidly to each side, forming a vertiginous cone of scorched Earth.

The eruption happened in the southwestern part of the country, a few miles north of Grindavik, a town of 3,800 that was evacuated weeks ago when the Earth opened up, and lava flowed through a two 1/2-mile-long fissure. It was the latest in a series of volcanic eruptions to slither from the area known as the Fjallsarlon dike, which cuts across the volcanically active Reykjanes peninsula.

Iceland, which sits on a tectonic plate boundary that continually splits North America and Eurasia apart, has 32 active volcanoes. Most of them are deep in the wilderness, far from populated areas. This one is close to the country’s largest airport, the city of Reykjavik, and the popular Blue Lagoon thermal spa.

Scientists say the lava is moving south and southeast, and it could reach the ocean. They are still determining how far it will go, but officials have discussed contingency plans if it reaches the coastline.

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Vidir Reynisson, director of the country’s civil defense agency, said residents of the nearby fishing village of Grindavik were sent text messages to leave with just a few minute’s notice. He said the main concern is that lava pools gather close to volcano defenses.

Web cameras first spotted the eruption on a hill overlooking the site. A dyke sprang up from a crack in the lava field of Fagradalsfjall, inside the Geldingadalur valley. It was jammed, creating a funnel that forced magma to break through a gap in the crust at the end of the dike.

Lava initially erupted out of the fissure at speeds of up to 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) per hour, but over the weekend, it slowed down to a more measured pace. Fountains of lava reached about 30 meters (98 feet) at their highest. The lava is thick and liquid, unlike the dense basalt of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010, which spewed ash into the atmosphere and closed airports worldwide, affecting 2 million travelers.

Several hundred people were evacuated from the Blue Lagoon on Monday as a precaution, though flights to and from Iceland’s Keflavik Airport have not been affected. Officials warn that if the eruption continues, it could send a cloud of toxic gases into the skies that could cause breathing difficulties.

The IMO said the activity seemed to have stopped late Wednesday night or early Thursday, but it is too early to say definitively. Magma may remain beneath the surface and may be forced through an opening when conditions are right. The IMO and Civil Protection Offices are monitoring the situation closely.