Late on Monday evening, a volcanic eruption occurred on the Reykjanes peninsula, in the south-west of Iceland. It began with powerful earthquakes, before large amounts of lava began to flow out from cracks in the surface. The cracks extend over four kilometers. – There are two main cracks in the north and south, and some small parallel cracks between them. The area now covered with lava is larger than the center of Oslo, says Professor Reidar G. Trønnes at the University of Oslo. Professor Reidar G. Trønnes explains how the outbreak has developed. The outbreak is the fourth in the area in three years, writes the newspaper Morgunbladid. The Icelandic authorities have declared a state of emergency. In a statement, they say there is no danger to human life. On Monday afternoon, the Meteorological Institute in Iceland reports that activity in the volcanic eruption is decreasing. They say the lava flow is now a quarter of what it was at the beginning. The volcanic eruption has occurred close to the main road in Iceland. Photo: Tomas Bekkavik So that the sky turned orange Norwegian Tomas Bekkavik lives in the capital Reykjavík in Iceland. He witnessed the volcanic eruption last night. – I was on my way home from work, and saw that the sky suddenly turned orange. Then it turned out that it was the long-awaited volcanic eruption, says Bekkavik to news. He traveled out to get a closer look at the eruption, and took pictures of the volcano with a drone. According to Bekkavik, the volcanic eruption occurred a 35 to 40 minute drive from the capital. – Enormous forces at work The volcanic eruption has made a strong impression on him. – It is very special. Absolutely insane. It almost doesn’t seem real, says Bekkavik. – How would you describe the forces of nature that are at work? – They are massive. I have been involved in previous volcanic eruptions. There are enormous forces at work. What distinguishes this volcanic eruption from previous eruptions is that it is happening so close to important infrastructure such as roads and towns, says Bekkavik. Halvard Sandberg tells about the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Chaos on the motorway For its own part, Bekkavik does not think that the volcanic eruption is frightening. – The only thing that is frightening is that it is happening so close to Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon. You never know where the lava will go, he says. Bekkavik adds that there were traffic challenges after the volcanic eruption. – There was quite a bit of chaos on the motorway after the outbreak. Many tourists were going out to see the volcanic eruption, and several of them stopped in the middle of the road. The police had to chase many away. Several of the roads in the area are now closed to ensure that unauthorized persons do not get too close to the eruption, RUV reports. The volcanic eruption colors the sky red over Iceland. Photo: Tomas Bekkavik – Now it’s serious Geologist and volcano expert Ármann Höskuldsson tells Morgunblaðið that this eruption is much more powerful than the last three eruptions in the area. – Yes, this is completely different. This is serious. The others were like appetizers. Because the eruption is more powerful, he also thinks it will all be over in a few days. – This will probably be over in a week or ten days. This is such a powerful outbreak that it will soon be over, he tells the newspaper. Do not flow towards Grindavík – The Civil Defense and the police have good control of the situation, says Iceland’s Minister of Justice Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir to RUV. At present, the lava flow does not threaten the infrastructure in Grindavík, which is the nearest settlement. – The eruption occurs north of the watershed, so the lava does not flow towards Grindavík. However, that can change if the crack changes, says Björn Oddson in the Norwegian Civil Defense to RUV. Nor is the Svartsengi power plant under threat as of now. Early on Tuesday morning, RUV reports that the eruption is about to decrease in strength in the southernmost part of the fissure. Map from the Icelandic Meteorological Institute of the eruption Photo: Icelandic Meteorological Institute Geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson flew over the eruption site on Tuesday morning. He tells the Icelandic broadcaster that it is not surprising that activity has decreased. – But there are still quite a few eruptions and the lava is very active. Volcanic fissure of four kilometers According to the Icelandic Meteorological Institute, the eruption is “most likely” limited to an area between Sylingarfell and Hagafell, just north of Grindavik. Photo taken from the Coast Guard’s helicopter. Photo: RÚV / RÚV It was in this area that it was feared that an eruption would occur in November. Jóhann Haukur Steingrímsson works for Efla, an engineering company that has worked on the “protection wall” around Svartsengi and the Blue Lagoon, says it was just before the lava hit the wall at the Blue Lagoon. He also believes that the outbreak has occurred in a relatively “lucky” place: – This is really as good as it can be under these conditions, he says. Evacuated again The outbreak comes barely a month after the Icelandic authorities lowered the emergency level, and allowed residents of the area to return home for longer periods each day. The outbreak also comes just one day after the Blue Lagoon reopened after being closed since November 9. The volcanic eruption in Iceland seen from Keflavik. Photo: Ingolfur Tomasson A wall of fire news has spoken to Ingólfur Þór Tómasson. He lives in Keflavik, and was also a witness to the outbreak. – I stand outside on the balcony and see a sea of fire. The whole sky glows red. It is quite quiet and lots of smoke. A wall of fire. I think it is approx. 15–20 kilometers as the crow flies from here, north of Grindavik, says Tómasson. He says he first saw a small, bright spot of lava out in the dark. But it quickly became “fierce”. Ingólfur Þór Tómasson (right) and his family. Photo: Private – At first I thought it was a house that was on fire. Since then it has only grown and grown and grown. Much is uncertain. There’s not much they can say, yet. But it is quite close to the power station in Svartsengi. Tómasson therefore fears that they will lose water and heat. – It is difficult to say what will happen, but it looks like a city on fire. This eruption felt quite close to people and buildings. The other outbreaks have not been. Not a “tourist outbreak” To RÚV, police chief Víðir Reynisson says that it “must be assumed” that lava can flow towards Grindavik and onto the dikes that have been set up to slow down the lava. He further asks people in the vicinity to stay at home and not flock to take pictures. – We are not looking at a tourist outbreak, he says.
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