icelandic volcano eruption: The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said on Wednesday that a volcano has erupted on a mountain near the capital city of Reykjavik. This comes after days of increasing earthquakes in the area.
Local news stations MBL and RUV showed pictures and livestreams of lava and smoke coming out of a crack in the ground on the side of the Fagradalsfjall mountain, which erupted for six months last year.
The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement that tourists and locals should stay away from the area because of poisonous gases. However, there was no immediate risk of damage to important infrastructure.
Iceland: Near Reykjavik, a volcano blows its top for the second time in 6,000 years
Less than a year has passed since the last eruption of a volcano in Iceland that was close to Reykjavik, and that was the volcano’s first eruption in 6,000 years.
In the southwestern part of the island nation, the Fagradalsfjall volcano can be found approximately 32 kilometers (about 20 miles) from Keflavik International Airport.
It started around 1.30 p.m. local time on Wednesday when it erupted.
icelandic volcano eruption: News
The eruption happened about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Reykjavik, near the site of the Mount Fagradalsfjall volcano in southwestern Iceland, which erupted for six months from March to September 2021, attracting tourists and onlookers.
This time, a strip of glowing red lava could be seen gushing out of the ground. As it cooled, it spread out into a blanket of smoldering black rock, and blue smoke rose up from the hilly landscape on the Reykjanes peninsula.
An AFP reporter at the scene said that people rushed to see the bubbling lava and hear the loud roar that came from the ground as the lava erupted.
The IMO, which keeps an eye on seismic activity, thought the crack was about 300 meters long (yards). It said that the eruption began in the Meradalir valley, which is less than one kilometer from where the last eruption happened.
Since Saturday, there have been about 10,000 earthquakes, including two with a magnitude of at least 5.0, which led up to the eruption on Wednesday.
Even though there wasn’t a cloud of ash, the IMO said that it was “possible that pollution can be found due to the gas release.”
When a volcano erupts, gases, especially sulfur dioxide, can build up in the area. These gases can be dangerous to your health or even kill you.
The wind can also spread pollution from gas leaks.
The Icelandic foreign ministry said on Twitter, “Risk to populated areas and critical infrastructure is very low, and there have been no flight delays.”
More than an hour after the eruption started, a commercial passenger jet was seen flying low over the site of the eruption on its way to Keflavik, Reykjavik’s main airport.