Iceland volcano eruption

A volcano has erupted near Iceland's capital Reykjavik after days of rising earthquake activity in the area, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said ...

In March last year, lava fountains erupted spectacularly in the area from a fissure 500 to 750 metres (1,640 to 2,460 feet) long, continuing until September and attracting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to the scene. A volcano has erupted near Iceland's capital Reykjavik after days of rising earthquake activity in the area, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Wednesday. The Reykjanes Peninsula is a volcanic and seismic hot spot, and the outbreak took place just 25 km (15 miles) from Reykjavik and 15 km from the nation's international airport.

Despite warnings not to go near the volcano, may people have gathered to watch the dramatic natural spectacle.

Valur Grettisson, the editor in chief at The Reykjavik Grapevine magazine, said the eruption was "absolutely incredible to see". "I thought the eruption was going to happen maybe like in a few weeks, and now it's here and it is so beautiful." - A spectator said the eruption was "five to 10 times bigger" than the previous one

The Fagradalsfjall volcano in southwest Iceland is close to the Keflavik Airport, a major global hub.

On average, the country experiences a volcanic event about every four years. “The eruption follows intense seismic activity over the past few days,” the Foreign Ministry said. “It is considered to be relatively small and due to its location, there is low threat to populated areas or critical infrastructure”

As volcanic activity in Iceland started on Wednesday, the country's tourism industry kicked into high gear, grasping an opportunity to revive the business ...

A second outburst of lava in under a year strongly suggests that the country's Reykjanes Peninsula will become one of the most volcanically dynamic parts of ...

In this instance, though, he expects the eruption to follow a similar pattern to that of 2021’s magmatic showcase. If this is indeed the start of a new era of Reykjanes volcanism, it’s difficult to predict what this may mean for those who live on the peninsula, and it’s currently impossible to say where—or when—the next eruption may emerge. Will the lava remain confined to these valleys, or will it travel further afield? That was confirmed in dramatic fashion on March 19, 2021, when lava began gushing from a 1,650-foot-long fissure in a valley of the Geldingadalur region. Yet that same day the seismic activity and the ground deformation seemed to decline. Now that the eruption has started, the disruptive seismic shaking has all but vanished. And in recent years, several sheets of magma ascended toward the surface, indicated by the changing shape of the ground and swarms of earthquakes, says Tobias Dürig, a volcanologist at the University of Iceland. But for some time, these magmatic serpents failed to see sunlight—their escape was stymied either from the loss of their own upward momentum or because the resilient crust didn’t offer an escape hatch. And this relative safety allows scientists and tourists alike to marvel at the geologic majesty and get excited for a possible onslaught of new scientific knowledge. The peninsula’s subterranean bedlam seems to manifest as periodic busts of volcanism. It’s still unclear how prolific or lengthy the eruption will be; this information will only come to light with more time and continued monitoring. The start of a new eruption so soon after unrest in 2021 seems to underscore that this once quiescent peninsula has awoken from its long slumber. Less than a year has passed since lava stopped sputtering from Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula following the first major volcanic outburst from this region in almost 800 years.

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – A volcanic eruption is underway in southwest Iceland that has people flocking to the rural region to catch a glimpse of 1,300 °F lava.

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The volcano was dormant for more than 6000 years before its 2021 eruption. - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists flocked to see the spectacular site during the six-month-long lava flow. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM. The Icelandic Meteorological Office urged people to stay away from the volcano.