Janice R. Andrews
In southwest Iceland, there is currently a fifth volcanic eruption since December. The eruption started on Wednesday after hundreds of tremors were detected in the previous few days, according to the Icelandic Met Office, and it swiftly became “explosive.”
By Thursday morning, the eruption had caused a crack that was almost two miles long and was gushing “considerable lava fountaining.” Lava has been pouring “vigorously” from the crack, crossing highways and heading toward the volcano Þorbjörn, outside the small fishing community of Grindavík, according to the Met Office. During the previous six months, this town has seen lava flows destroy homes, roadways crack, and evacuations occur.
The region had been rocked by hundreds of earthquakes over several days before the eruption. The Met Office detected over 140 earthquakes on two days late last week, all of them mild. There were 200 more little earthquakes the previous weekend.
“Explosive activity began when the magma came into contact with groundwater, causing the water to quickly convert into steam and resulting in steam explosions and tephra fall (ash),” according to the Met Office. “There is considerable uncertainty regarding the amount of gases from the eruption site.”
Due to the eruption, the Blue Lagoon, a well-liked tourist attraction recognized for its geothermal bath, has been temporarily closed. It declared that it had been evacuated and will be closed at least through Friday. “Over the past few months, we have been reminded of the powers of nature and how they inevitably influence us all,” said the Blue Lagoon. “During this time of seismic activity, we have had to temporarily close our operations but have remained in close contact with Icelandic authorities and acted in accordance with set precautions and measures in the area.”
According to forecasters, winds on Thursday will carry the eruption’s gasses eastward, discharging pollutants toward the island nation’s northeast. Sulfur dioxide gas can travel up to 25 miles to the capital city of Reykjavik, where it can cause acid rain and air pollution.
Russia was reached by sulfur dioxide emissions from the region’s most recent eruption in March, which occurred in continental Europe.
