Residents in southwest Iceland are currently in a state of anticipation, eagerly awaiting the potential eruption of a volcano lurking beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula. Civil protection authorities have indicated that even if the eruption doesn’t occur imminently, it might take several months before evacuated individuals can safely return home.
A week ago, the town of Grindavik was evacuated due to seismic activities as magma, a semi-molten rock, moved beneath the earth’s surface, causing a noticeable crack in the community and elevating the ground by over a meter in certain areas.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office has highlighted a considerable possibility of an eruption along the 15-kilometre magma tunnel, with a specific focus on an area north of Grindavik, near the Hagafell mountain.
Grindavik, housing approximately 3,400 residents, is situated about 50 kilometres southwest of Reykjavik, near Keflavik Airport, the primary hub for international flights in Iceland. As a precautionary measure due to the volcanic threat, the renowned Blue Lagoon geothermal resort has been closed, at least until the end of November.
While residents are briefly permitted to return to retrieve essential belongings and pets, the volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula has already erupted three times since 2021, following an 800-year dormancy. Previous eruptions occurred in isolated valleys without causing significant damage.
Iceland, positioned above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, experiences eruptions approximately every four to five years on average. The most disruptive in recent memory was the 2010 Eyjafjallajokull eruption, which unleashed vast ash clouds into the atmosphere, disrupting air travel across Europe for days due to concerns about potential engine damage caused by volcanic ash.
Scientists anticipate that a new eruption would likely result in lava flow rather than an ash cloud.
