by LONDON (AP) — Scientists had been expecting a volcanic eruption in southwest Iceland for weeks, so when it happened Monday night, it was no surprise. The region has been active for more than two years and thousands of small earthquakes have rocked the area in recent weeks.
Here’s a look at what happened and what could be ahead:
HOW TO GET THE Eruption
It started at about 10:20 pm local time on Monday north of Grindavik, a fishing town of 3,400 people on the Korean Peninsula. The town is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, in an area commonly known as the Fagradalsfjall volcano.
First there was a series of small earthquakes. Then lava that is about 1,200 degrees Celsius (2,192 degrees Fahrenheit) began to pour out of a fissure about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) long. The Icelandic Meteorological Office estimated that hundreds of cubic meters of lava per second flowed out in the first two hours of the eruption, although the activity had subsided significantly by Tuesday evening.
IS IT EYESLESS?
In short, no – scientists expected the eruption for several weeks and in November, the authorities evacuated Grindavik after thousands of small earthquakes shook the area for more than two weeks. Scientists said their monitors showed that a trail of magma, or semi-molten rock, was spreading toward the town and could soon reach the surface.
The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, one of Iceland’s top tourist attractions, had to be temporarily closed as a precaution after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake hit the area last month.
Fagradalsfjall has been dormant for the past 6,000 years, but erupted in March 2021, when hundreds of people came to the Reykjavík Peninsula to witness spectacular lava flows that lasted for months. The red glow from the lava could be seen from the outskirts of the capital.
WILL THIS BREAKDOWN APPLY TO FLIGHTS?
None of the recent eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula have caused damage or disrupted flights, despite the area’s proximity to the country’s main Keflavik Airport. And while Monday’s eruption appears to be larger and more powerful than those in recent years, forecasters and scientists say it is unlikely to affect air travel.
Many people still remember the massive disruption to international aviation in 2010, when another Icelandic volcano, the Eyjafjallajokull, spewed huge clouds of ash high into the atmosphere across Europe. About 100,000 flights were grounded, millions of international travelers were stranded and air travel was halted for days due to concerns that the fine ash could damage jet engines.
Experts say the location and features of this eruption mean it is not expected to produce much ash or cause disruption on a similar scale.
AccuWeather, a US-based weather forecasting firm, said on Tuesday that initial information indicates that an ash cloud has not yet been detected. “Over the next few days, any ash is expected to remain several thousand feet above the ground,” the firm said.
WHAT OTHER IMPACTS COULD THIS INFLUENCE HAVE?
Scientists say there is currently no threat of the lava reaching the town of Grindavik or key structures such as nearby power stations. Residents have been evacuated from the area and most of the surrounding roads are still closed.
But scientists warn that the situation could change and that it is too early to say how long the eruption will last or when local residents could move back into their homes.
“Although the lava has not erupted into the town of Grindavik or the nearby power station and popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon, the lava flows are only a few kilometers away and there are still concerns that These key locations are lava,” said Sam Mitchell, a researcher in Volcanology at the University of Bristol.
The molten lava flowing above ground can also raise the risk of poor air quality in the region due to the increase in the amount of sulfur dioxide in the air, AccuWeather said.
One volcanologist, Ármann Höskuldsson, told Icelandic state broadcaster RUV that he expected the eruption to last from a week to 10 days. “If all goes well, this will be over by tomorrow evening,” he said.
How common are volcanic eruptions in Iceland?
Iceland is one of the most volcanically active areas in the world, with 32 active volcanic sites. It’s an eruption on average every four to five years — although it has increased closer to every 12 months since 2021.
The country sits atop a volcanic area and what is known as the mid-Atlantic ridge, a huge crack in the ocean floor caused by the separation of the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. As the plates pull apart, new magma rises up to fill the gaps, triggering earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Katla is one of the country’s largest active volcanoes, closely watched because it lies under thick glacial ice, meaning any eruption could melt the ice and trigger widespread flooding. Katla last erupted in 1918, and that eruption lasted almost a month, starving crops of sunlight and killing some livestock.
