The volcano in Iceland erupts again

2024-08-23 16:49:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A nighttime photograph between August 22 and 23 shows a road sign pointing the way to the Blue Lagoon spa, one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, with lava and smoke from the volcano's eruption near the town of Grindavik in the background.
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The eruption from a new fissure began shortly after 9:00 p.m. Thursday, following a series of strong earthquakes. Within an hour, a crack of about four kilometers was opened in the Sundhnukuri crankcase.

Icelandic authorities said on Friday that lava is still flowing from the volcano on Friday, but the impact of its eruption remains localized.

The surrounding roads are closed, but the population is not in danger, according to them.

An overnight photograph between August 22 and 23 shows lava and smoke from a volcanic eruption near the town of Grindavik, in southwest Iceland.
Halldor Bjornsson, head of Iceland's Meteorological Agency, told the Icelandic portal Visir that unlike past eruptions, the lava flow from Thursday's eruption is not heading towards the town of Grindavik. Residents of this town were evacuated in December when the volcano erupted for the first time in 800 years.

"If it continues like this, Grindavik is not in danger," said geophysicist Magnus Tuma Guomundsson after flying over the volcano. "Obviously we don't know what will happen in the near future, but it is likely that the volcano has reached its peak and will begin to die down like past eruptions," he added.

But for people living and working on the Reykjana peninsula, the constant explosions and evacuation orders have become annoying.

The Blue Lagoon spa, one of Iceland's biggest tourist attractions, was closed following evacuation orders.

It was closed on Friday, but its staff is preparing to reopen, manager Helga Arnadottir told public broadcaster RUV.

Photogallery Volcano eruption in Iceland
Continued volcanic eruptions near Grindavik, a town of 3,800 people about 50 kilometers southwest of the capital Reykjavik, have damaged infrastructure and property, and forced many residents to relocate for their safety.

In Iceland, a volcano erupts every four to five years on average. In 2010, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, the largest in recent years, releasing large ash clouds into the atmosphere, which caused the closure of airspace across Europe.

The latest explosion is not expected to disrupt air traffic.