Iceland volcano erupts dramatically again as lava flow reaches defensive city walls
(CNN) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted for the fifth time since December on Wednesday, spewing huge lava flows that threatened to isolate the town of Grindavik and forced the evacuation of the world-famous Blue Lagoon.
Dramatic video and images from the scene showed fountains of red-hot lava erupting into the air along a 3.4 kilometre (two-mile) fissure near Mount Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement that “scientists’ first estimates are that the onset of this eruption is more vigorous than previous eruptions in the region.”
The eruption began around 1:00 pm local time on Wednesday after an earthquake in the Sundhnaks crater, Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported. The Met Office had earlier warned that a volcanic eruption was likely following “intense seismic activity” in the crater and a build-up of magma in its underground storage.
According to the Met Office, lava flows have cut off two of the three roads leading to the fishing village of Grindavik and are rapidly advancing along a defensive barrier built to protect the village and key infrastructure from destruction.
“Lava is flowing over the defence walls in several places in Grindavík, and in Svartsengi lava has also started to flow over the walls,” Vidir Reynisson of the Icelandic Civil Defence told RUV.
He warned that Grindavík risked becoming completely isolated, though he said defensive barriers remained firm.
“If there were no defensive walls the houses in the western and farthest parts of town would have been buried under lava, but they are still standing and defending themselves,” Rennison reportedly said.
The town of Grindavik, with a population of around 3,000 people, was largely evacuated ahead of the first explosion in December. Residents and first responders in the town have been urged to leave while they can, although police told RÚV that three residents are refusing to move.
On May 29, 2024, another volcanic eruption has been observed from a helicopter flight on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland for the fifth time since December.
Grindavik’s power supply was cut off on Wednesday as a protective measure after the lava flow disconnected high-voltage lines and hot and cold water pipes in the ground, the company’s production manager Kristinn Hjorssonar told RÚV Energy HS Orka.
“Most of the high-voltage lines have disappeared, the pylons have been seriously damaged and some have caught fire,” Civil Defence’s Rennison said later.
Benedikt Ófigsson of the Icelandic Meteorological Office told RÚV that the onset of this eruption was more powerful than previous ones due to the large amount of magma accumulated in the chamber.
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“This is a much larger lava flow than we have seen before,” he reportedly said. “This is reflected in the massive lava flows today.”
Iceland’s foreign ministry said in a post on X that there were no disruptions to domestic or international flights.
But for the third time in just two months, the country’s famous geothermal spa and tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon, was evacuated, according to its operations director.
Just an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital and largest city, the Blue Lagoon is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. The site is part of the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, a thick strip of land that juts west from Reykjavik into the North Atlantic Ocean.
Iceland has one of the most active volcanic regions on the planet. Instead of having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley dotted with lava fields and cones.
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