A lingering volcano erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula Iceland on Friday, firing a fountain of lava that illuminated the night sky about 30 kilometers southwest of the country’s capital, the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Friday reported. The eruption, which is estimated to be the first peninsula in nearly 800 years, follows weeks of increased seismic activity in the region.
‘The eruption is considered small at this stage and the eruptive gorge is approx. 500 m [546 yards] tall. The magma area is app. 1km2. [0.4 square miles], ”Said the IMO a tweet. “Lava fountains are small.”
The agency later tweeted a video of the eruption’s aftermath of a Coast Guard helicopter, which you can see in all its terrifying glory below.
The eruption took place near the Fagradalsfjall mountain and started on Friday around 16:45 ET. It blew lava up to 100 meters (100 meters) into the air, said Bjarki Friis of the Meteorological Office of Iceland. Reuters. The IMO first noticed the eruption with a webcam that installed it near the mountain, which was then confirmed via thermal satellite images. Hours later, the agency said the lava appears to be flowing ‘slowly to the southwest and west’. The glow of the lava was visible from the outskirts of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík.
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While local authorities said they did not believe the eruption posed an immediate threat to nearby towns, they said residents advised to close their windows and stay indoors to prevent volcanic gas emitted through the slit from possibly inhaling. The Icelandic police also encouraged people to stay away from the eruption site for the time being, as first responders continue to assess the situation.
More than 40,000 earthquakes have hit the region in the past four weeks, Reuters reports. The peninsula experienced about 400 earthquakes on Thursday morning alone, and according to the IMO, several low-frequency earthquakes were recorded below Fagradalsfjall earlier in the day on Friday.
Iceland is one of the most volcanic nations in the world. Of the approximately 130 volcanoes, about 30 remain active. The Reykjanes Peninsula remained relatively calm thereafter splash on and off in a series of major eruptions between the 10th and 13th centuries, but scientists began to anticipate potential eruptions at the region’s rate of earthquakes increased sharply in 2019.