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After a week of seismic activity, a volcano erupted in southwest Iceland, clearing the surrounding areas. Following weeks of tremors, on Monday, a volcano erupted in southwest Iceland. Approximately 4,000 residents of the fishing town of Grindavik have been evacuated.
The country's meteorological office reported that on Monday, a volcano erupted in southwest Iceland, resulting in the release of lava and smoke over a wide area after several weeks of intense seismic activity.
Due to the fear of a major eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, authorities had evacuated around 4,000 residents of the fishing town Grindavik last month and closed the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
The meteorological office stated on its website, "Warning: An eruption has started north of Grindavik by Mount Hekla."
Images shown by Reuters and others, as well as live streams, displayed molten rocks erupting from the ground in a spectacular manner, contrasting their bright yellow and orange colors against the dark night sky.
The meteorological office mentioned that the crack on the Earth's surface was approximately 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) long and was expanding rapidly.
Icelandic seismologist Kristin Jonsdottir informed the public broadcaster RUV that lava was erupting at a rate of approximately 100 to 200 cubic meters per second, which is several times more than previous eruptions in the area.
Local police reported that they have raised their alert level due to the eruption's aftermath, and civil security has issued warnings for people not to go to this area, while emergency personnel have assessed the situation.
The nearby Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik remained open, although there were delays for both arrivals and departures.
Officials have stated that in recent years, there have been several eruptions in uninhabited areas of the Reykjanes Peninsula, but the latest eruption poses a threat to the town of Grindavik.
In the past two months, thousands of earthquakes have occurred in this area, but there has been a decrease in intensity in recent weeks, leading some experts to believe that the danger of an eruption has decreased.
Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is located to the south-southwest of the Reykjanes volcanic and seismic hotspot. In March 2021, the Fagradalsfjall volcano system erupted, with lava fountains reaching 500-750 meters (1,640-2,460 feet) high.