On the night of Sunday, the sirens went off in Iceland. The population is experiencing their second lava eruption in a short time, after the eruption in December. But this time, evacuated homes are being swallowed up by lava, and farm animals are in danger of being swept away by the flames. – The eruption was expected, but it was not supposed to come so close to the city. It’s a bit foamy. That’s what the horse rider and horse owner Klara Halldórsdóttir says. She is among those who followed the Swedish Food Agency’s instructions in November. She evacuated herself and her horses, and refused to return. However, not all farm owners have followed that instruction. Because while all people have been evacuated, there are dozens of farm animals left, contrary to the instructions. Animal protection in Iceland fears an animal tragedy. There are animals in at least five sheep barns, says Linda Karen Gunnarsdóttir in RUV’s animal protection. There are also supposed to be more pets left in the empty houses, but that has not been confirmed. At least 30 sheep are confined in one of the sheep barns in Grindavík. Photo: RUV – It is extremely serious that the animals have been brought back to the city again. Of course they weren’t supposed to be there, but naturally people went back and started living their normal lives again, says Gunnarsdóttir. Thousands have been evacuated Grindavik resident Klara Halldórsdóttir tells the news agency TT that what is happening now feels surreal and that she is prepared that she will never be able to live in Grindavik again. – We all live in enormous uncertainty and uncertainty about the future, she says. The first eruption, which occurred at 09:00 Norwegian time, took place north of Grindavik. Shortly afterwards it became clear that the lava was flowing towards the city. According to Iceland’s Meteorological Institute, the city would be hit within 24 hours. A few hours later, a new volcanic fissure opened just outside the city limits of Grindavik. The new crack changed the situation completely. – The worst possible scenario is that the upper fissure dies out and the lower one takes over, volcanologist Thorvaldur Thordson told RUV This is how Grindavik looked on 21 December. Photo: HALLDOR KOLBEINS / AFP This is how the city looks on Sunday afternoon. Here the two cracks look good. Photo: Ruv Is the town of Grindavik history? It is not easy to predict, says Henrik Hovland Svensen, geologist and researcher at the University of Oslo. On Sunday, the Icelanders built ramparts to protect the city. Since then, a new crack has appeared south of the embankment. Helpers build a wall Photo: HALLDOR KOLBEINS / AFP Several cracks may also appear on the south side of, and – in the worst case – under the city itself. – What we know is that there is a crack that has developed under the city itself, since the December eruption which was a little further north, Svensen tells news. – It is clear that it does not look very promising right now. On the other hand, we don’t really know how these things develop. May last several days Sunday’s eruption is apparently less powerful than the one in December, according to an expert, but it is clearly happening closer to Grindavik. About 100–150 meters from the city, according to RUV. The magma chamber, which feeds the lava eruption, is located near the Blue Lagoon and is at a shallow level, only five kilometers deep. Therefore, geologist and former professor Haflidi Haflidason suspects that the chamber, where the magma is collected, will be emptied in a relatively short time. – I guess this could be over in three or four days, says Haflidason to news on Sunday. The last time such frequent eruptions were common in Iceland was 800 years ago. Photo: Civil Protection
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