Fire fountains and a crack several kilometers long: a large volcanic eruption began in Iceland

A large volcanic eruption began in Iceland/Channel 24 Collage (Photo by the Department of Public Security of the National Police of Iceland)

After several weeks of earthquakes A major volcanic eruption occurred in southwest Iceland. A huge crack 3.5 kilometers long has already formed in the ground, from which about 100–200 cubic meters of lava are ejected every second.

Icelandic authorities warned about the eruption and prepared for it. In particular, almost 4,000 residents of the fishing town of Grindovik were evacuated from the Reykjanes Peninsula in November, and the Blue Lagoon geothermal resort was also closed.

A volcanic eruption began near the capital of Ireland

The Icelandic Meteorological Service reported that the volcano located north of the town of Grindovik began to erupt at 22:17 local time on December 18. The beginning of the volcanic eruption was also recorded by surveillance cameras. By the way, it began an hour after the last earthquake.

The beginning of a volcanic eruption in Iceland: watch the video

During a volcanic eruption, a crack about 3.5 kilometers long appeared near the earth’s surface. Fire fountains shoot out of it every second, throwing out 100 – 200 cubic meters of lava. The Icelandic weather service reports that these figures are much higher than during previous eruptions that have occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years.

Volcanic eruption in Iceland/Photo by the Department of Public Security of the Icelandic National Police

Educated Cracks in the ground stretch towards the village, located about 40 kilometers from the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik. However, despite the strong eruption, Keflavik International Airport continues to operate, although with significant delays in departure and landing flights.

Volcanic eruption : watch video

Experts say that the crack in the ground continues to grow rapidly and stretches further in the direction of Grindavik. Therefore, local police, together with rescuers, prohibited people from approaching the area of ​​the volcanic eruption until experts assess the level of danger.

Experts are investigating the volcanic eruption: watch the video

Scale of the eruption in Iceland as of 5 a.m. local time: watch video

Volcanic eruptions in the world: latest news

• In early December, Mount Merapi erupted in Indonesia. At the time of its onset, 75 people were in the eruption area. Unfortunately, 11 people died, and another 12 are still considered missing.
• On the Italian island of Sicily, Mount Etna began to erupt on November 13th. The eruption was confined to the summit and did not affect operations at Vincenzo Bellini International Airport in Catania.
• A recent volcanic eruption formed a new island near Japan. So, on October 21, the underwater volcano began to erupt. The young land mass is in sight of the island of Iwo Jima, located about 1,200 kilometers south of Tokyo.