Lava erupts for third time on volcano-hit Iceland peninsula

Video pictures of the crack within the Earth’s floor, stretching an estimated three kilometres (two miles), confirmed the fissure illuminating a plume of smoke rising into the sky that was seen 40 kilometres away within the capital of Reykjavik.

Iceland’s Division of Civil Safety and Emergency Administration declared a state of emergency after lava flowed over a pipe transporting scorching water to the Reykjanes peninsula, inflicting the pipe to burst.

“The new water pipe is damaged, which is inflicting an absence of scorching water” within the southern a part of the Reykjanes peninsula referred to as Sudurnes, house to about 28,000 individuals, the division mentioned in an announcement.

“It’s now essential that residents and companies in Sudurnes save all electrical energy and scorching water,” it mentioned. 

“We’re engaged on determining the subsequent steps to ensure individuals get heat water,” division spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmundsdottir instructed AFP, saying the water was additionally used to warmth houses across the peninsula.

The division urged residents to chorus from scorching showers or baths and preserve water.

– Hours of water left –

Based on authorities, scorching water saved in tanks was now the one obtainable supply within the space.

Below regular circumstances, the tanks can provide the world for 3 to 6 hours, however with the conservation measures they might final six to 12 hours.

The location of the eruption is round 40 kilometres southwest of Reykjavik, in the identical space as two earlier eruptions, the primary on December 18 and the second on January 14, close to the fishing village of Grindavik.

The roughly 4,000 residents of Grindavik needed to be evacuated on November 11 after lots of of earthquakes broken buildings and opened up enormous cracks in roads, shrouding the village’s future doubtful.

The quakes had been adopted by a volcanic fissure on December 18 that spared the village, however a second on January 14 opened proper in town’s edge, sending orange lava flowing into the streets and decreasing three houses to ashes. 

Residents have solely been allowed again for brief visits because the second eruption.

Thursday’s eruption occurred round 4 to 5 kilometres north of Grindavik and two to 3 kilometres west of the Svartsengi energy plant, which provides electrical energy to round 30,000 individuals on the Reykjanes peninsula.

The plant was evacuated and has been run remotely because the first eruption within the area, and dykes have been constructed to guard it.

“The dykes are about 8-10 metres excessive, product of earth. They encircle the entire plant,” Gudmundsdottir mentioned.

Fountains of lava from Thursday’s eruption reached 50 to 80 metres excessive in some areas and the volcanic plume rose about three kilometres above the fissure, the Icelandic Meteorological Workplace (IMO) mentioned.

“Lava flows largely in direction of west in the meanwhile and the move appears to be barely lower than at first of the 18th of December eruption,” the workplace mentioned. 

The IMO had warned Monday that magma accumulation beneath the world urged a possible eruption within the coming days.

– New period? –

Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, just a few kilometres north of the eruption, mentioned it had closed Thursday and all company had been evacuated, with lava later overflowing a street resulting in the positioning. 

Iceland is house to 33 energetic volcano methods, the very best quantity in Europe.

It straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack within the ocean flooring separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

However till March 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not skilled an eruption for eight centuries.

Additional eruptions occurred in August 2022 and in July and December 2023, main volcanologists to say it was most likely the beginning of a brand new period of seismic exercise within the area.

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