Iceland has reported a volcanic eruption on the southwest Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavík,the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) tweeted Friday as quoted by CNN.
“A volcanic eruption started this evening at 20:45 near Fagradalsfjall in Geldingadalur,” IMO said in a tweet. “The eruption is considered small at this stage and the eruptive fissure is app. 500 m long. The magma area is app. 1km2. Lava fountains are small.”
The Fagradalsfjall volcano, located around 20 miles (32km) south of the country’s capital of Reykjavik, erupted late on Friday night, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (ICO), which noted that flights to and from the neighboring Keflavik International Airport had been paused.
Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management is advising people within several miles of the volcano to close their windows and stay indoors to avoid the effects of volcanic gas in the air.
“Volcanic gas pollution is expected to extend as far as Þorlákshöfn and to continue into the night. People are asked close windows and stay indoors. The status and amount of SO2 emissions from the eruption are being assessed,” the agency tweeted late Friday.
People were urged to avoid the Reykjanesbraut highway on the south-west Reykjanes Peninsula, which connects Greater Reykjavík to Iceland’s Keflavík International Airport.
“First responders need to be able to drive freely to assess the situation. Scientists are working on assessing the eruption,” the authority tweeted.
The airport later announced that there was no total halt of air travel, and each airline had to decide for themselves “how they proceed based on the ash cloud forecast.”
A video captured from the Coast Guard helicopter and shared by the ICO showed a stream of glowing lava snaking down the mountain, with the office adding that the lava flow is only some 1.6 miles (2.6km) away from the town of Suðurstrandarvegur.
The eruption comes after weeks of increased seismic activity on the peninsula, with some 400 earthquakes detected in the region on Thursday morning alone, according to the IMO.
“This is somewhat less seismic activity in comparison to previous mornings where the numbers have been around 1,000 earthquakes,” the IMO added in a tweet on Thursday.
Located on a peninsula in southwest Iceland, the volcano sits in a seismic hotspot which has seen some 40,000 small quakes since late February, putting the region on high alert for a volcanic episode. However, as noted by a local seismologist, activity in the area “died down almost completely” in the lead-up to Friday’s eruption.
Be the first to comment