Icelandic volcano erupts for the seventh time in a year

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, November 23 (The Young Reporter) – A volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula near Grindavik in Iceland erupted on Wednesday night for the seventh time in a year with limited impact on safety and infrastructure.

It started its first eruption at 11:14 pm, and eruptions are steady and still ongoing.

Located in southwest Iceland, the volcano lies on the same peninsula as the Reykjavík’s Keflavík Airport. “The airport is fully operational. Flights have not been impacted by recent eruptions and are on schedule,” the country’s international airport said. 

The lava is flowing primarily westward and gas emissions are going southward over Grindavik, according to Iceland’s meteorological office.

Lasha Shinjikashvili, a resident of Hafnarfjörður, a city south of Iceland’s capital, said he witnessed a road closure 8 kilometres from the volcano. 

“I wanted to get closer but the police closed all the roads in the direction of the volcano,” he said. 

“There were lots of people with smartphones,” he added.

He said he was in his car to take photos of the eruption around Thursday midnight, while the majority of Grindavik’s residents had already evacuated.

Grindavik, with a population of 3,800, is southwest of the erupting site. The Icelandic Meteorological Office said most of Grindavik’s residents were evacuated.

Lava has engulfed the car park of the internationally well-known geothermal spa Blue Lagoon. The spa has evacuated all people from its operational units, including surrounding hotels and retreats.

Blue Lagoon said they will remain closed until next Thursday, Nov 28 and there is currently no damage to their main infrastructure.

According to an officer at the visitor centre, there are helicopter tours available to take tourists to see the lava and the eruption. He said for safety, the helicopter stays at a certain distance.

“Even if you walk on the street in Reykjavík now, there is a risk here. You could smell a hint of sulphur dioxide from the air and drinking water these days,” he said.

Iceland’s Meteorological Office forecast north-easterly and northerly wind for the weekend. The office warned people to watch the eruption with the wind direction behind them, and it said gas pollution can exceed danger levels at any time.

All services in Iceland are operating as usual with hazard assessment valid until Nov 25. The Meteorological Office said this eruption has half the lava volume of the last eruption on Aug 22. There is no forecast when it will end.