Last updated: 15.01.2024, 05:19 a.m.
By: Johannes Welte
CommentsPrint Share
From the one-kilometre-long fissure, lava penetrates into the open. On the left, the breached dam © ICELANDIC DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL PR/afp
A volcano has erupted on the outskirts of the Icelandic town of Grindavik. The lava rises to the surface from two fissures. Several houses have already been destroyed. In December, there was an outbreak nearby.
Update from January 14, 20:12 p.m.: Currently, the lava is coming out of two fissures: North of Grindavík, a 900-meter-long crack opened, the lava from it flows mainly to the west. A 100-meter-long fissure has opened near the outskirts of the city, from which the lava flows into the settlement of Efrahópi. According to the radio station RÚV, three houses are now in flames or have been buried by glowing lava.
Prime Minister Lava Katrín Jakobsdóttir attended an information session for the residents of Grindavík, she said: "The hearts of all citizens are with the Grindavikers." There is no hot water in the city and the electricity has failed, in addition, the lava flow has crossed an important road. Mayor Fannar Jónasson himself is affected, his house is also located in the path of the lava flow. He says: "It is tragic to see the houses fall victim to the fire. The townspeople are no longer depressed, but broken."
Nature photographer documents the eruption from the air
Award-winning wildlife photographer Ragnar Axelsson, known as RAX, flew over the area at dusk and photographed the eruption. The shots are impressive and depressing at the same time. In one picture you can see how the lava flows into the city.
Benedikt Halldórsson, a seismologist at the Norwegian Meteorological Agency, told Norwegian Radio that the volcanic had reached the city limits and was likely under the city. Halldórsson also says that "the worst scenario imaginable is coming true." According to Halldórsson, the lava is currently flowing towards the city centre at a rate of about a hundred metres per hour.
Police chief warns of large lava fissure in the middle of the city
Iceland's police chief Vídir Reynisson told broadcaster RUV: "The way the eruption looked this morning around 24 a.m., it was thought that it would take maybe <> hours for the lava to reach Grindavík. Then that crack opened up and changed everything." The weather office has warned several times that there will be no end to the magma inflow from the Earth's interior. "That's why we need to be prepared and focus our actions on the real danger: a large crack opening in Grindavík and large-scale gas contamination." More eruptions could follow.
Update from January 14, 15:42 p.m.: The lava has reached the first houses of Grindavik. A new building on the northern outskirts of the city, which had not yet been occupied, was the first to go up in flames. Soon after, a second house burned. A live cam (see below) shows how the lava flow is working its way into the city. Previously, it had been possible to get excavators and other heavy construction machinery in time.
The lava has reached the first houses of Grindavik. © youtube/mb.is
My news
According to Eurojackpot statistics, these are the most common winning numbers.
Student revolt against statue of Greta Thunberg: University reaction is followed by sheer mockery
Minus 55 degrees! Marathon in Siberia Makes Faces Freeze Read
Pizza "unworthy"? Father indignant because of children's toysread
Swine flu is currently spreading: vomiting and diarrhea threatreadread
Photo shows sinister figure in bushes: Sportswoman meets forest man while reading marathon
Volcanologist Thorvaldur Thórdarson says in an interview with National Radio that today's events are the worst scenario he had imagined. All indications are that more magma is flowing into the magma chamber of Grindavík. In the meantime, lava has also reached the water supply network, the water is boiling in it. According to mbl.is, it is reassuring that the gas cloud from the eruption is moving south to the open sea and not north towards Reykjavik.
Update from January 14, 13 p.m.: According to visir.is, the lava has now approached the northernmost houses of the 450-inhabitant town of Grindaviks to within 4000 meters. The crack is therefore about one kilometer long. It is only a matter of hours before the buildings and critical infrastructure such as electricity and water are reached. The lava had penetrated through a gap that had not yet been closed when the protective wall was built. However, the rift also extends south of these earth walls. Pictures on social networks show how close the eruption site is to the development.
Fannar Jónasson, mayor of Grindavík, says in an interview with mbl.is: "Of course, we don't know how things will turn out, but this eruption site, so far to the south, was one of the worst scenarios that scientists have assumed. Unless it just erupted under the city." One can only observe how it develops. For the most part, there were no accidents or injuries during the evacuation. "But there's a lot at stake: people's homes and possessions, and then all the businesses, equipment, and tools they own."
Police warn onlookers not to make their way to the outbreak site on foot. The roads are closed. "It's extremely cold outside, the trail is long and the ground is unstable due to cracks and other things. In addition, all emergency services are busy and do not have the manpower to pick up people who are walking. The area is dangerous both in terms of cracks, gas and more," warns the local police on Facebook.
Original text as of January 14, 2024: Grindavik – For days, new earthquake activity had caused unrest, now it's that time again: The fissure volcano in the north of Iceland has erupted again. According to the Icelandic newspaper Visir, earthquake activity in the Súndhnúk crater series north of the city had increased around <> a.m., and over a hundred earthquakes were recorded the following hour. The city has now been completely evacuated. Apparently, the lava has already breached a protective dam.
Camera broadcasts live volcanic eruption north of Icelandic city
The new eruption began at 7:59 a.m. on Sunday morning, Jan. 14, near the fissure that formed on Dec. 18. However, the volcanic outflows from the fissure have shifted south towards Grindavik in the last few hours, it is said.
A Coast Guard helicopter took off to assess the situation. The Civil Defense has raised the alert level to the emergency level. "As soon as more information about the location is available, we will issue a new notice," reports the Ministry of Civil Defense.
Lava crosses earthen embankments, which are supposed to protect the city
Kristin Jonsdottir, an expert on natural hazards at the Icelandic Meteorological Agency, says in an interview with Visir that the eruption took place south of the volcanic hills of Hagafell, north of the earthen walls of Grindavik. In recent weeks, such barriers have been erected to protect the city from lava flows. However, it appears that the eruption, which formed about an hour ago, crossed a dike a short distance north of Grindavík, reports mbl.is. On a video, a lava tongue can be seen moving towards parked excavators.
Grindavik had already been evacuated after the quake wave in November last year. When the situation calmed down north of the city after the first outbreak in December, the residents were allowed to return at the beginning of the year. During clean-up work in the city last week, a construction worker disappeared into a crevice that had spontaneously opened.