AFP
NOS News•today, 09:09•Edited today, 09:23
A volcano has erupted in Iceland for the third year in a row. The eruption is again in the southwest of the country, in an uninhabited area in a valley about 30 kilometers from the capital Reykjavik.
On average, Iceland has a volcanic eruption every four to five years. The country is located on a volcanic hotspot in the North Atlantic Ocean.
The volcano Fagradalsfjall has been spewing lava since yesterday afternoon, but no ash clouds, Iceland’s meteorological service reports. There are no consequences for air traffic. However, there are dense clouds of smoke, caused by the glowing lava.
The lava is spewed out over a width of 200 meters “like a series of fountains” on the flanks of the mountain, the service says, but it remains to be seen how it develops. It’s a minor eruption for now.
The Fagradalsfjall is not a classic conical mountain with a hole in it. The lava comes from a 900 meter long fissure in the earth. This form usually does not lead to large ash clouds.
The crack from which lava spews:
Lava spews from 900m long crack in Iceland
The eruption was already taken into account, as thousands of minor earthquakes had been recorded in the area, peaking at 5.2 on Sunday evening.
The two previous eruptions in the area did not cause any damage or nuisance. In 2021, the lava flow continued for several months. The spectacular images attracted hundreds of thousands of people.
Dangerous gases
The curious are now warned not to watch, because poisonous gases are released. Residents as far as Reykjavik were also warned to keep their windows closed and turn off the air conditioning last night.
“We cannot warn enough to stay away from the area. And when you get there: leave immediately. We hope people listen,” says the Icelandic crisis service.
The last major eruption in Iceland was in 2010, when the volcano Eyjafjallajökull spewed large clouds of ash. This led to days of chaos in international air traffic. More than 100,000 flights were grounded and many millions of passengers were stranded.
2023-07-11 07:09:59
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