Iceland faces a new volcanic crisis after the eruption of a volcano in its southwestmarking the third time since December that the country has been forced to deal with the unpredictable nature of its geography.
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This Thursday, the sky was colored with the spectacle of expelled lava, which led to the evacuation of the Blue Lagoonemblematic tourist destination.
The fissure, extending for three kilometers near Mount Sundhnukur, was the starting point of this eruption around 6 a.m. local time, the Icelandic Meteorological Office reported.
Evacuations and preparations
Grindavik, a coastal community of 3,800 residents, prepared for the worst by evacuating early, remembering the experience of December 18.
The Meteorological Office reassured citizens by confirming that the lava was heading westwithout representing an immediate risk to the town or nearby critical infrastructure.
“There shouldn't have been anyone and we don't know of anyone,” said Vioir Reynisson of the Civil Defense agency, referring to the lack of victims in the area affected by the eruption.
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Seismic activity leading up to the eruption had been intense, with the Met Office recording hundreds of small earthquakes since the previous Friday, culminating in significant seismic activity just half an hour before the event.
This pattern had led the Office to warn about the possibility of an eruptionafter three weeks monitoring the accumulation of magma.
The “mild and effusive” nature of the eruption, according to volcanologist Dave McGarvie, suggests a limited impact on air traffic, given the minimal ash emission. This contrasts with previous episodes, such as Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption in 2010whose ash ejection had extensive consequences in European airspace.
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The volcanic system of the Reykjanes Peninsula, where Grindavik and Iceland's main airport, Keflavik, are located, has been the epicenter of this and two other eruptions since December.
Despite efforts to contain the lava, several buildings were consumed in a previous eruption, although no fatalities have been confirmed. However, the disappearance of a worker, after falling into a crack opened by volcanic activity, keeps the community in suspense.
The consequences of these eruptions raise questions about the future of Grindavik. McGarvie points out a “stoic resignation” given the possibility that the town is, for the moment, uninhabitable.
While Iceland, located on an active volcanic area, gets used to an eruption every four or five years, the current situation on the Reykjanes peninsula stands out for the intensity and frequency of the events, in the words of President Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, as “an overwhelming period of turmoil”.
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*This content was rewritten with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on information from La Nación, and was reviewed by a journalist and an editor.
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