Kleine Lavafontänen spritzten in die Höhe.
© ICELANDIC COAST GUARD
Reykjavik – Iceland has had a long-awaited volcanic eruption. The eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula not far from the capital Reykjavik began on Friday evening, and lava flows subsequently spread out of a crack several hundred meters long.
Spectacular images from the region showed how the sky over the nearby mountain Fagradalsfjall turned red, small lava fountains splashed up through cracks in the earth and glowing lava flows slowly made their way into the Geldingadalur valley.
Das Magma ließ den Nachthimmel rot leuchten.
© AFP/Halldor KOLBEINS
Despite the dramatic sight, the authorities spoke of a minor outbreak on Saturday, nor did they assume that people or the nearby village of Grindavík are in danger. “We are closely monitoring the situation and it is not currently seen as a threat to surrounding cities,” Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdottir wrote on Twitter. She asked to stay out of the immediate vicinity of the eruption.
“This type of outbreak in a place like this is not a cause for concern in Iceland,” Jakobsdottir was quoted in a statement from her government. The eruption is considered small and due to its location does not pose a threat to Reykjavik, other populated areas or infrastructure.
As the Meteorological Authority Vedurstofa announced, the eruption is limited to a relatively small area in the upper part of the valley. It is very unlikely that the lava flow will cause damage. Ash rain did not occur at first either.
Zuletzt hatte es eine ungewöhnliche Erdbebenserie im Südwesten Islands gegeben, weshalb die Eruption des Fagradalsfjall nicht ganz überraschend kam.
© ICELANDIC COAST GUARD
The eruption is not the classic eruption of a central single volcano. Rather, the lava coming to the surface of the earth comes from an underground volcanic system called Krýsuvík. The Icelanders have given the eruption the name Geldingadalsgos. The site of the eruption is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula about 30 kilometers from Reykjavik on the southwestern tip of Iceland in an uninhabited area – the next town of Grindavík is ten kilometers away. The last eruption on the peninsula was recorded over 700 years ago, according to government information.
The civil protection and disaster control advised not to leave houses in the catchment area of the volcanic gas plumes and to keep windows closed. The well-known geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson told the radio station RUV that the emission of toxic gases seems to be low so far. If nothing changes, there is no danger for anyone.
Die isländische Küstenwache inspizierte den Ausbruchsort.
© ICELANDIC COAST GUARD
How long the eruption could drag on cannot yet be estimated, according to Gudmundsson. “It could end tonight or after a month. We shouldn’t try to predict when it will stop,” said the volcano expert. The outbreak was a remarkable event, but it was not very surprising.
Indeed, an eruption like this had long been expected in the region. There had been thousands of earthquakes on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the past few weeks, including a magnitude 5.7 at the end of February. They were seen as harbingers of a volcanic eruption, which is why the experts had warned of an impending eruption at the beginning of March.
Lava am Fagradalsfjall.
© ICELANDIC COAST GUARD
Although Iceland’s main airport, Keflavik, is located on the peninsula, air traffic is unlikely to suffer any major or long-term impairment – in contrast to the eruption of the volcanic glacier Eyjafjallajökull eleven years ago. The eruption at the time with its following kilometer-high ash cloud had plunged international air traffic into chaos in the spring of 2010. The eruption of the volcano, which is difficult to pronounce, suddenly made the small island nation with around 360,000 inhabitants better known internationally.
Air traffic has not ceased after the current eruption began. The airport operator Isavia waived a general flight ban and only ordered a restricted zone for drones within a radius of five kilometers. It is expected that the ash rain will be minimal to nonexistent, announced the Vedurstofa on Saturday.
Almost all travelers come to Iceland via the airport in Keflavik. In the vicinity of the eruption site is also the popular Blue Lagoon thermal baths, which are one of the most visited tourist attractions on the North Atlantic island. (dpa)