The volcanic eruption is more powerful and the gas pollution is greater than has been seen in recent years in Iceland, writes the Icelandic broadcaster RÚV. Very dangerous conditions may develop during the eruption tonight. The eruption in the volcano Fagradalsfjall started north of Litli-Hrútur on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland on Monday. Residents of Reykjanes are asked to keep windows closed. – Considerable gas pollution can be expected from the volcano at Litli-Hrútur, the police in Iceland write on their Facebook page. In the week before the eruption, thousands of small earthquakes were recorded in the area, which signaled that the magma in the ground was moving and that an eruption was imminent, writes The Guardian. – It hurts to breathe in At around 23:00 on Monday evening, Virgill Scheving Einarsson went on a shopping trip to Hafnarfjörður. He says it hurts to breathe. – You can see the fire from Vatnsleysuströnd. Everything burns there. You can hardly breathe. It’s like being in a factory with toxins all around. It hurts to breathe in. The worst is here above Vogar and Vatnsleysuströnd, says Virgill to RÚV. DANGEROUS GASES: The volcanic eruption in Iceland on Monday is releasing dangerous gases, and residents in the area are being asked to close windows. Photo: Juergen Merz – Glacier Photo / Reuters The police have, on advice from scientists, closed access to the area by the volcano due to large and life-threatening gases. – We cannot say it enough, people must stay away from the area. If they are there, they have to get out, says communications director Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir in the police. In a video shared on the police’s Facebook account, which was taken from the Coast Guard’s helicopter on Monday evening, the volcano’s activity can be clearly seen. It is the third year in a row that volcanoes on the Reykjaneshalvøya have erupted. Spectacular sight Professor of geosciences Christian Haug Eide at the University of Bergen says it is not that common for the authorities to ask people to keep their windows closed after a volcanic eruption. – In Iceland, when you have a new volcanic eruption, there is a lot of lava and gas. Within a short time, the amount of gas that comes out decreases. Volcanic eruptions in Iceland: There are now 32 active volcanoes in Iceland. The volcano Bardarbunga erupted in 2014. Grimsvøtn had its previous eruption in 2011. Eyafjallajøkul erupted in 2010, when an ash cloud paralyzed large parts of air traffic to and from Europe. Hekla erupted in 2000. Katla had increased activity twice in the summer of 2017. It has been 99 years since the last eruption, compared to the normal 40-60 years between each time. The volcano Fagradalsfjall now has an ongoing eruption. (Source: icelandicvolcanos.is) To prevent people from getting to the volcano, the roads around the area are closed. Eide says it will be opened again when the amount of gas decreases and you get a better overview. The ongoing eruption in Fagradalsfjall is around ten times larger than an eruption in the same volcano in 2021. Photo: JUERGEN MERZ – GLACIER PHOTO ART / Reuters He describes the images from the volcanic eruption as spectacular, but advises people to stay away. – But you expect it to stabilize in a few days and then I can think of many things that would be more dangerous than traveling to see this eruption. No danger of ash In 2010, the eruptions from the volcano Eyjafjallajökull paralyzed large parts of air traffic in large parts of Northern Europe. April 2010 was the month when all of Europe was covered in ash. The ash from the eruptions from Eyjafjallajökull had settled in the air over large parts of Northern Europe, which paralyzed air traffic in several countries. Christian Haug Eide says it is unlikely that this eruption will lead to ash or affect Europe’s air traffic. – The probability that you will become ashen due to this eruption is very unlikely. He explains that ash is formed when the lava comes into contact with water or ice, which causes it to start boiling. – The probability is probably much greater that many people want to travel to this area here to see the eruption, which is quite fantastic. Follow the development in news’s News Centre:
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