World
An Iceland Volcano Erupts Again But Spares The Nearby Town Of Grindavik For Now
GRINDAVIK, Iceland — On Friday, lava continued to gush from a volcano in southwestern Iceland, marking the sixth eruption since December on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
The eruption from a new fissure began shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, following a series of severe earthquakes. Within an hour, a 4-kilometer (2.4-mile) fissure sliced through the Sundhnúkur crater.
An Iceland Volcano Erupts Again But Spares The Nearby Town Of Grindavik For Now
According to Halldór Björnsson, head of weather and climate at the Norwegian Meteorological Agency, unlike previous eruptions, the lava flow is not aimed at the town of Grindavik, which was largely evacuated in December when the volcano erupted after 800 years.
“If this continues like this, Grindavík is not in danger,” geophysicist Magnús Tuma Guðmundsson said after flying over the eruption. “Of course, we don’t know what will happen in the near future, but it is likely that this has reached its peak and then it will start to subside like the other eruptions.”
As word spread about the eruption, hundreds of curious onlookers drove to the surrounding vantage points to see the breathtaking natural phenomena, which has become a popular tourist destination.
“We just thought it was the northern lights,” remarked Mahnoor Ali, a Maryland, United States visitor. “It’s like the coolest thing I’ve seen in my whole life, honestly.”
Friends Ameerul Awalludin from Malaysia and Shohei Miyamoto from Japan were with an Icelandic friend when they heard the news and raced to the eruption site.
“We have a volcano as well,” Miyamoto remarked, “but we cannot see lava like this.”
However, for residents and workers on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the periodical eruptions and subsequent evacuation orders are more frustrating than exciting.
The recurrent volcanic eruptions at Grindavík, a community of 3,800 people around 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Reykjavik’s capital, have damaged infrastructure and property, forcing many residents to relocate for safety.
An Iceland Volcano Erupts Again But Spares The Nearby Town Of Grindavik For Now
Strong winds swept plumes of deadly gas over the town Thursday night, forcing the handful who had returned to flee once more.
The neighbouring Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions, was also evacuated. Social media footage shows sirens blasting at dusk.
Helga Árnadóttir, manager of sales, operations, and services, told national TV RUV that the spa is preparing to reopen after being shuttered on Friday.
Iceland, located above a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, experiences one eruption every four to five years. The most recent disruption was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which blasted clouds of ash into the atmosphere and halted trans-Atlantic air travel for months.
The latest eruption is not expected to disrupt air travel.
SOURCE | AP
