"It's so beautiful, so moving.
It's the raw power of our planet, ”says Hather, an American on vacation in Iceland, amazed by the spectacle of molten lava jets.
Located 40 km from the Icelandic capital Reykjavik, the volcanic fissure erupting since Wednesday, attracts the curious.
Many of them move near the area, near Mount Fagradalsfjall, to admire the spectacle of boiling lava.
The emergency services and the police, who assessed the level of danger and possible gas contamination, however encouraged the population to stay away from the site.
Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson also called for vigilance.
“I just want people to pay attention and know more before they jump into the unknown.
If this eruption is like the last,
"I thought I was going to be able to get much closer, but you can't get closer than four meters," laments James Dillis, another American tourist.
“It's impressive, it's a bit unreal.
The colors are really flashy.
It's unreal for me… It's too too beautiful”, continues Marion, a French tourist, who doesn't miss a beat.
After thousands of tremors recorded in recent days, a new fault has opened up.
The Meteorological Institute of Iceland, which monitors seismic activity, estimated the length of the crack at around 300 meters.
He said the eruption started in the Meradalir Valley, less than a kilometer from the 2021 eruption.
For the time being, air traffic has not been disrupted because there is no ash cloud.
But “it is possible that pollution will be detected due to gas fumes,” reports the Icelandic Meteorological Institute.
Iceland has 32 volcanic systems currently considered active, the most in Europe.
On average, the country experiences an eruption every five years.
