The 1973 eruption took place on the island of Heimaey, the only one of the islands that was inhabited. No one lost their life as a result of the eruption, but the entire island’s population was evacuated. It all lasted over five months. Over 400 houses were crushed and buried under lava. Close to 80 other houses were reduced to ashes. 5,000 people on the island became refugees in their own country. Now it is the inhabitants of Grindavik who fear volcanic eruptions. Magma tunnels have been discovered under the city, and all the inhabitants have been evacuated. Icelandic geophysicist Ármann Höskuldsson tells broadcaster RÚV that a possible eruption near Grindavik could be worse than the one on Vestmannaeyjar fifty years ago. One of the most serious scenarios is an outbreak in the city itself. – It is much worse than Vestmannaeyjar, says Ármann. – Some of the worst scenarios can come true. news sent reporter Geir Helljesen to cover the volcanic eruption in 1973: See news’s Geir Helljesen standing in the middle of the volcanic eruption in Iceland in 1973. – The danger of eruption is “significant” There have been almost 900 earthquakes in the area around Grindavík between midnight and 6am this morning . Nevertheless, it has been a quieter night in Iceland than it was the night of Saturday. The largest earthquake should have been measured at 2.8. The danger of a volcanic eruption is nevertheless great. Benedikt Halldórsson is director of earthquakes at the Icelandic Meteorological Office. According to the director, the size of the magma tunnel and the magma flow are larger than in previous measurements. Measurements show that the magma tunnel is 15 kilometers long. It runs around 800 meters below Grindavik and stretches from Kálfellsheiði and southwest into the sea off the Reykjanes peninsula. The most seismic activity is under Grindavík and northeast of it. Halldórsson tells the Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid that the probability of a volcanic eruption in the near future must be considered significant. Image from the volcanic eruption in 1973. Photo: Sigurjón Einarsson – Very serious It is nothing new that earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are recorded in Iceland or in the Grindavik area. There have been three major eruptions in the area since 2021. But this could be far more serious. This is what the Norwegian geologist Børge Johannes Wigum says to news. He calls the previous volcanic eruptions “typical tourist eruptions”, since they were volcanic eruptions without any infrastructure nearby. Now a volcanic eruption can affect an entire city. There is extensive damage after the earthquakes in Grindavik. Photo: RUV – In the worst case scenario, it is very dramatic. But it can also stop. That happens in nature. The magma solidifies, and then nothing more happens, he points out. In 2010, European aviation came to a standstill when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano stopped air traffic in large parts of Europe. According to the geologist, it is unlikely that will happen this time. – This is another type of magma that is more fluid. But if it continues under the sea and we have an eruption below the sea surface, there could be a lot of explosive activity and ash. But it will not be as big as in 2010. Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir has called a government meeting about the situation at 12 o’clock, local time. It is now being considered whether the residents of Grindavik can be allowed to pick up their animals or other private possessions, which they had to leave behind during the emergency evacuation. Facts about volcanic activity on Iceland Iceland lies above a so-called hot spot on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which forms the boundary between the Eurasian and North American continental plates. A hotspot is an area of great volcanic activity over many millions of years. This is the reason the island exists at all. The island has around 130 volcanic mountains, 18 of which have erupted since the settlement of Iceland began in the 8th century. The previous settlement that had to be evacuated was Vestmannaeyjar in 1973. In April 2010, an eruption in the volcano under Eyjafjallajökull caused air traffic over most of Europe to be paralyzed. Bardarbunga is Iceland’s largest volcanic system, located under the ice cap of the Vatnajökull glacier in southwest Iceland. (Source: Reuters, Wikipedia, NTB)
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Fears new volcanic eruption in Iceland will be worse than the disaster 50 years ago – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
