On Wednesday evening, a volcano erupted on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland. This was its seventh eruption since December last year and prompted the evacuation of a fishing village in the southwest region. As per the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), this eruption was smaller than the one in August this year.
Volcano On Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula Erupts Again
Several videos and photos of the volcanic eruption in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula are making rounds on social media. Large amounts of red-orange lava and smoke thrusting forth from the volcano could be seen in these videos. This is the seventh time that the volcano has erupted in a year and the tenth time in three years.
According to NDTV, the eruption of the Sundhnukagigar volcanic fissure outside the village of Grindavik on the Reykjanes Peninsula occurred at 23:14 GMT. The IMO has confirmed that no infrastructure was currently threatened because of the volcano eruption. However, they have evacuated Grindavik, a fishing town known for its nearby Blue Lagoon hot spa.
Interestingly, volcanoes on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula had not erupted for 800 years until March 2021. Since then, frequent eruptions have been recorded due to heightened seismic activities there.
Less Intense Than The August Eruption
According to IMO’s statement, this latest volcano eruption in Iceland has been smaller than the last one recorded at the end of August. Reportedly, most of Grindavik’s 4,000 residents were evacuated a year ago. This was shortly before the first volcano eruption in the region. Most of the residents of the area have relocated and sold their houses to the government authorities. This was mainly after three houses in the area were destroyed due to the lava. As per reports, around 50 houses in the village were occupied in the last few nights. These people have now been evacuated and transferred to safer areas.
Iceland has 33 active volcanoes, which is way more than any other European country! That’s one of the main reasons why volcano tourism is a big hit in the country.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@MariettaDaviz & YouTube/Isak Finnbogason
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