Lava erupts from a new volcanic fissure on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula on Saturday, the fourth eruption attack the area since December, according to authorities.
“A volcanic eruption has begun between Skogfell and Hagafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula,” the Icelandic Meteorological Office announced. Live video images showed glowing lava and billowing smoke.
Iceland's Ministry of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said it had sent a helicopter to narrow down the exact location of the new crack.
Minutes before the eruption, the IMO issued a statement saying seismic activity indicated an increasing likelihood of an eruption.
Local media reported that evacuations had begun from the fishing town of Grindavik, with residents receiving text messages asking them to leave quickly.
Approximately 4,000 residents of Grindavik were only allowed to return to their homes on February 19, 2023, after being evacuated on November 11, 2023.
Hundreds of tremors caused damage to buildings and large cracks in roads.
A volcanic crack appeared after the earthquake December 18th That saved the village.
But a crack opened on the edge of town. in JanuaryLava flowed onto the road, reducing three houses to ashes. by the third eruption near the village on February 8th.
Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems, the most in Europe.
It straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rift in the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
However, until March 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries.
Further eruptions occurred in August 2022 and in July and December 2023, which volcanologists say likely marked the beginning of a new era of seismic activity in the region.