Iceland has 32 volcanoes that are currently considered active, the highest number in Europe. The country records an eruption every five years on average.
A small volcanic eruption continued this Saturday in Iceland, about 40 km from the capital, Reykjavik, with no consequences other than creating a river of lava and glowing red magma in that part of the country for the first time in 800 years.
After three weeks of intense seismic activity and an alarm for eruptions, a flood of lava erupted at 8:45 p.m. Friday from a crack in the ground at Geldingadalur, near Mount Fagradalsfjall, lit up the night with a red cloud.
Spectacular video footage captured by a Coast Guard helicopter on Saturday showed lava covering just under 1 km2 of area, as well as blue gas vents at the eruption site.
The site of the eruption is about 3 miles inland. Photo: AFP
“The eruption is small and activity has declined slightly since Friday evening. It is confined to a small area in the valley and is unlikely to cause any damage, ”the latest statement from Iceland’s Meteorological Service (IMO) said on Saturday afternoon.
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The Krysuvik volcanic system, which has no main crater, is located south of Mount Fagradalsfjall, on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland.
Close windows
The police and coast guard have been sent to the site, but the population has been advised not to approach.
Photo: AFP
Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport and the small fishing port of Grindavik are only a few kilometers away, but the area is uninhabited and the eruption is not expected to pose any danger.
At this time, authorities have not reported any ashes, but fragments of tephra (solidified magma) and gas emissions may occur.
Police are advising residents east of the volcano to close their windows and stay at home due to the risk of gas contamination.
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At this point, traffic at Keflavik airport was able to continue.
Gas emissions from volcanoes, especially sulfur dioxide, can be high near an eruption and pose a health hazard and even be fatal.
Photo: AFP
Remotely, pollution can exceed acceptable limits depending on the wind. The gas “can cause problems and have adverse health effects,” warned the Icelandic Environment Agency.
Volcanic eruptions in the region are exuberant – that is, most of the lava flows to the ground, as opposed to explosive ones that throw ash clouds into the sky.
The Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for 900 years, according to the Met Office, and the last eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula dates back nearly 800 years, to 1240.
Extreme vigilance
The area has been under closer surveillance for weeks when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near Mount Keilir outside Reykjavik on Feb. 24.
This earthquake was followed by an unusual number of lesser tremors – more than 50,000, the highest number since digital records began in 1991.
Since then, seismic activity has shifted several kilometers to the southwest, centered around Mount Fagradalsfjall, where magma has been detected just a kilometer below the Earth’s surface in recent days.
This large island near the Arctic Circle stretches across the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack at the bottom of the ocean that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
The displacement of these plates is partly responsible for the intense volcanic activity of Iceland
The most recent eruption took place in Holuhraun (started in August 2014 and ended in February 2015), in the Bardarbunga volcanic system, in an uninhabited area in the center of the island.
This eruption did not cause any major problems, except for the nearest towns.
But in 2010, an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed massive clouds of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic for more than a week, with the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights worldwide, blocking about 10 million passengers for days. .