Fifth Eruption in Six Months: Volcano in Iceland Spews Lava Again

A volcanic eruption has started again in Iceland, northeast of Silingafell on the Reykjanes Peninsula. This was reported by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO), RUV reports.

‘The eruption began near Sundnuksigar, north of Grindavik,’ the authority said in a statement, about three weeks after the end of the previous eruption, which lasted from 16 March.

On Monday, the IMO announced that about 400 earthquakes have been recorded near the Sundnuksigar crater range over the past seven days.

This morning, the city of Grindavik, the Blue Lagoon and the Svartsengi power plant were successfully evacuated.  

A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to the scene to determine the exact location and size of the eruption. 

‘The eruption plumes reach a height of at least 50 metres,’ IMO wrote on its website. The fault would be kilometres long.

Shortly before the eruption, residents of the coastal village of Grindavik were evacuated again due to fears of this new volcanic eruption. The Blue Lagoon, which is very popular with tourists, was also evacuated.

This is the fifth eruption in the region since December. The IMO reported ‘intense seismic activity’ before Wednesday's eruption.

Eruptions in the same area in December, January and February led to the evacuation of nearly 4,000 residents of the small port town of Grindavik, which was hit by lava in November. Around 20 million cubic metres of magma has accumulated in the magma chamber beneath Svartsengi.