The volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted for the 7th time in a year

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland that has come back to life after eight centuries of silence has erupted for the seventh time since December, sending molten lava flowing toward the Blue Lagoon spa, a major tourist attraction.

The eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula began with little warning at 11:14 pm (2314 GMT) on Wednesday, creating a fissure about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long. The activity is estimated to be significantly smaller than the previous eruption in August, according to Iceland’s meteorological office, which monitors seismic activity.

Most previous eruptions subsided within a few days.

“In the big picture, this is a little smaller than the last eruption and the one that occurred in May,” said geophysics professor Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson, who flew over the scene with the Civil Protection agency to monitor the event. he said. publisher RUV.

Although the eruption poses no threat to air travel, authorities have warned of gas emissions in parts of the peninsula, including the nearby town of Grindavík, which was largely evacuated a year ago when the volcano came to life after lying dormant for 800 years.

After the Civil Protection Agency issued a warning, approximately 50 houses and guests in the Blue Lagoon were evacuated. On Thursday afternoon, lava spread across the parking lot of a geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, and consumed a service building.

Although the pipes were built to withstand the lava flow, the lava also reached the pipeline that supplies the peninsula with hot water for heating, the meteorological office said.

Repeated volcanic eruptions near Grindavík, which is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the capital Reykjavik and had a population of 3,800 before the eruptions, have damaged infrastructure and property, forcing many residents to relocate to ensure their safety.

“Grindavík is not in as much danger as it seems, and although nothing can be ruled out, it is unlikely that this rift will continue any further,” said Magnús Tumi.

Located on a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic, Iceland experiences an eruption on average every four to five years. The most devastating recent event was the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano, which sent ash clouds into the atmosphere and disrupted trans-Atlantic air travel for months.