What you need to know about Iceland’s volcanic eruption

After weeks of anticipation, a volcanic eruption in Iceland’s most populous area spewed lava into the night sky late Monday, prompting authorities to take action on Tuesday. The eruption, which was bigger than volcanologists had 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 prepared and remain vigilant,” said President Gudni Johannesson. wrote on the social platform X.

They also stressed that travel was not affected – an apparent attempt to deflect worries about a repeat of 2010, when an ash cloud from a new eruption in Iceland snarled flights across Europe.

Here’s what you need to know about the eruption.

What happened?

The eruption began late Monday, with lava fountains flowing from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s most populous region and home to the capital Reykjavik. Helicopter video shared by the Icelandic Civil Protection showed steam rising from a glowing, winding river of lava.

Volcanologists initially said the eruption had occurred in one of the worst possible locations. The gorge, which is about 4 km long, is not far from the Svartsengi power plant, a geothermal facility. And it is just under two miles from Grindavik, a town of more than 3,500 residents that was evacuated last month after increased seismic activity raised concerns that an eruption was likely.

But after flying over the eruption site, volcanologists said the immediate situation appeared less dire than initially feared.

Are people in danger?

Volcanologists noted that the direction of the lava flow was unpredictable. And while the Icelandic Meteorological Office said Tuesday morning that the “intensity” of the eruption was subsiding, it was not immediately clear how long it would last.

“The fact that 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 humans,” the Icelandic tourism board said. a statement on Tuesday morning.

The area was closed to traffic and the risk to nearby energy infrastructure was assessed, the Icelandic government said added in a statement.

Nevertheless, authorities warned against getting too close, with Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Civil Protection, emphasizing that this was “not a tourist volcano”.

Will this affect travel and tourism?

The Icelandic authorities had raised the aviation alert to orangebecause ash from a volcanic eruption could pose a risk to aircraft flying in the North Atlantic.

But as of Tuesday morning, all flights to and from the country were running as scheduled a statement from the Icelandic Tourist Board. It also noted that previous eruptions in the area had not affected air traffic.

The eruption took some in Iceland by surprise, as concerns about an impending eruption had subsided in recent days. The nearby tourist meeca, the Blue Lagoon, which was closed in November due to earthquake activity linked to possible volcanic eruptions, had just reopened to guests on Sunday.

On Tuesday morning, the site issued a statement saying it would be temporarily closed again.

Overall, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, the country’s Minister of Infrastructure, says: told RUV, the national broadcaster“It seems like we’ve been very lucky,” adding, “We hope it stays that way.”

How often do volcanic eruptions occur in Iceland?

Volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, which has fewer than 400,000 inhabitants and about 130 volcanoes. In the past two years, there have been four eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the scene of the last lava flow.

One of Iceland’s most memorable eruptions 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 much of European air traffic for more than a week loved.

Iceland lies on two tectonic plates, which in turn are separated by an undersea mountain range from which molten hot rocks flow.

Earthquakes occur when magma pushes through the plates, and an increase in seismic activity was observed from the end of October, with tens of thousands of earthquakes reported on the Reykjanes Peninsula. At one point there were as many as 1,400 in one 24-hour period.

That raised concerns that a significant eruption would occur soon. But when Grindavik was ordered to be evacuated on November 11, authorities said in a statement that the country was “very well prepared for such events.”

“Iceland has one of the most effective volcanic preparedness measures in the world,” the Icelandic Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said on its website.