A volcano close to Iceland’s capital erupted on Wednesday for the tenth time in three years, spewing fountains of lava and smoke, the nation’s meteorological workplace mentioned.
Iceland, with nearly 400,000 inhabitants, is positioned on the fault line between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, which makes it a seismic hotspot with geysers, heat water springs and dozens of volcanoes.
As magma constructed up underground, authorities had warned of imminent volcanic exercise on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, the place the latest eruption ended solely on the sixth. of September.
The outbreaks on the Reykjanes Peninsula, often called fissure eruptions, haven’t immediately affected the capital and don’t trigger important dispersion of ash into the stratosphere, avoiding disruptions to air visitors.
The geological techniques within the space, which remained dormant for 800 years, had been reactivated in 2021 and have since erupted with growing frequency, with the most recent outbreak being the sixth to this point in 2024.
The close by fishing village of Grindavik, which was residence to nearly 4,000 residents earlier than the evacuation order was issued in December final yr, stays largely abandoned as a result of periodic risk of lava flows.
Icelandic authorities have erected limitations to divert streams of molten rock away from the town, in addition to infrastructure similar to a close-by energy plant and the Blue Lagoon, a spa with motels and huge pure swimming pools.
Scientists have warned that Reykjanes is more likely to expertise repeated volcanic outbreaks for many years, presumably even centuries.
Nevertheless, the eruptions should not anticipated to trigger the extent of disruption seen when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted in 2010, spreading ash clouds throughout Europe and inflicting the cancellation of about 100,000 flights worldwide.
