A volcano that erupted glowing red lava near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik after waking up for the first time in 900 years apparently sank on Saturday and posed no danger to humans, experts said.
Streams of red lava bubble and flow from a ravine in a valley in Geldingadalur, near Mount Fagradalsfjall on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland.
As the lava flow slowed on Saturday during rain showers, a blue gas plume and a cloud of steam rose from the site, just 40 kilometers from the capital and near a popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
(Anton Brink / Anadolu Agency / AFP)
The eruption took place on Friday around 20:45 GMT and illuminated the night sky with a blood-red glow while hundreds of small earthquakes shook the area.
While Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport and the small fishing port of Grindavik are only a few kilometers away, the area is uninhabited and the eruption posed no danger to the public.
“The eruption is considered small at this stage and volcanic activity has declined somewhat since last night,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), which monitors seismic activity, said in a statement on Saturday.
(Anton Brink / Anadolu Agency / AFP)
The “eruptive rift” is said to have measured about 500 to 700 meters (1,640 to 2,300 feet).
The lava field was, according to him, less than one square kilometer with small lava fountains.
The geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson from the University of Iceland described the valley of reports as an ‘ideal’ place for the eruption and compared it to a bath in which the lava could slowly leak. ‘
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the IMO earthquake hazard, Kristin Jonsdottir, said it was very likely that the eruption would last for the next few days.
Friday’s eruption took place in the Krysuvik volcanic system, which does not have a central volcano, about five kilometers inland from the south coast.
Sigurdur Kristmundsson, a 54-year-old port official in Grindavik, told AFP that the local population was excited about the eruption.
“No one is in danger or anything like that. So I think people are excited and not afraid of it.”
(Anton Brink / Anadolu Agency / AFP)
Dormant for 900 years
Access to the area was initially blocked but later opened to the public, although the Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management emphasized that the few hours ‘walk from the nearest road is only recommended for those who were’ used to being outside in difficult’s circumstances.’
Gases from a volcanic eruption – especially sulfur dioxide – can be raised in the immediate area and can pose a health hazard and even be fatal.
Gas pollution can also be carried by the wind.
“Currently, not much discomfort is expected in humans, except near the source of the eruption. The gas release will be closely monitored,” the IMO said.
According to the IMO, the Krysuvik system has been inactive for the past 900 years, while the last eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula went back almost 800 years and lasted about 30 years, from 1210 to 1240.
But the region has been under surveillance for several weeks after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was recorded on February 24 near Mount Keilir on the outskirts of Reykjavik.
Since then, more than 50,000 smaller quakes have been recorded and magma has been detected just one kilometer below the earth’s surface near Fagradalsfjall in recent days.
Geophysicist Gudmundsson said the eruption indicated a new period “that could last for centuries with eruptions, possibly ten to 100 years apart.”
(Anton Brink / Anadolu Agency / AFP)
Land of fire and ice
Iceland has 32 volcanic systems currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. The country has had an eruption on average every five years.
The vast island near the Arctic Circle lies over the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a rift on the seabed that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
The displacement of these plates is partly responsible for Iceland’s intense volcanic activity.
The most recent eruption was in Holuhraun, beginning in August 2014 and ending in February 2015, in the volcanic system Bardarbunga in an uninhabited area in the middle of the island.
This eruption did not cause any major disruption outside the immediate area.
But in 2010, an eruption at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano sent large clouds of smoke and into the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic for more than a week and canceling more than 100,000 flights worldwide, leaving about 10 million passengers stranded.
© Agence France-Press