Volcanic Activity Reignites on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula
REYKJAVIK — A new volcanic eruption has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland, the country's meteorological office announced on Wednesday. This marks the fifth such eruption in the region since December, as the area continues to experience heightened seismic and volcanic activity.
The latest eruption began near the Sundhnuksgigar crater row, located just north of the town of Grindavik. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported that the eruption plumes were reaching heights of at least 50 meters. Authorities had evacuated Grindavik shortly before the eruption commenced, as the IMO had detected "intense earthquake activity" in the area prior to the event.
This latest volcanic episode comes nearly three weeks after the end of the previous eruption, which had been ongoing since March 16. The Reykjanes peninsula had been relatively quiet for over 800 years until the current series of eruptions began in December 2022.
The region's increased seismic and volcanic activity is related to the accumulation of 20 million cubic meters of magma in the magma chamber below the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, which supplies electricity and water to around 30,000 people on the peninsula. The Svartsengi plant was evacuated and has largely been operated remotely since the initial eruption in December.
The nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, Iceland's most popular tourist attraction, also evacuated its facilities on Wednesday in response to the new eruption. Most of Grindavik's 4,000 residents had already been permanently evacuated in November, prior to the eruptions that began in the winter months.
During the January eruption, lava flows engulfed three homes in Grindavik, prompting further evacuations. While many residents had left, some die-hard locals had returned to live in neighborhoods deemed less at-risk from the lava.
On Monday, the IMO reported that around 400 earthquakes had been detected in the area surrounding the Sundhnuksgigar crater row over the previous seven days, signaling the increased seismic activity that ultimately led to the latest eruption.
Volcanologists now believe that a new era of heightened seismic and volcanic activity has begun on the Reykjanes peninsula, which had been largely dormant for centuries before the current series of eruptions started in late 2022. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain evacuation plans for nearby communities.
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