A volcanic eruption started Wednesday afternoon on the Icelandic peninsula of Reykjanes, near the capital Reykjavik. The eruption of the rift volcano Fagradalsfjall started around 1.30 pm local time (3.30 pm Dutch time) after a series of earthquakes since Saturday, local Icelandic news platform reports RUV.
Live webcam images show lava and smoke being spewed from the volcano from a fissure in the ground at least 100 meters wide. National authorities have declared a state of emergency and are asking people to avoid the area. A “code red” has also been issued to ensure that aircraft do not fly directly over the location, the Iceland Meteorological Center reports to Reuters news agency. It is not yet clear what the direct consequences are. Rescue teams are investigating the safety conditions and scientists are on their way by helicopter to assess the situation.
Lava Fountains
In March last year, the Fagradalsfjall volcano also erupted, with lava fountains from 500 to 750 meters high. All air traffic to and from the largest airport Keflavik was then stopped as a precaution. The volcanic activity lasted until September and therefore attracted many tourists. Wednesday marks the volcano’s first eruption since last year. That’s relatively a very short time after the last activity: Before last year’s eruption, Reykjanes had no volcanic eruption for nearly eight hundred years.
This eruption is not expected to spew much ash or smoke into the atmosphere, unlike an explosive eruption of the ice-capped Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010. At the time, international air traffic was suspended for days and hundreds of Icelanders had to flee their homes.
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