A volcanic eruption at Fagradalsfjall near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik colored the sky red. There is no immediate danger to people, but all air traffic is suspended.
Here, the volcanic eruption can be seen a little to the right of the center of the image, with lava flowing to both sides. Photo: Iceland Meteorological Institute via AP / NTB
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20. mars 2021 00:00
Last updated just now
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—-A red glow marked the night sky over the place where the volcano erupted on Friday night. Photo: Hildur Hlín Jónsdóttir via AP / NTB
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The eruption started late Friday night and is located on the Reykjanes peninsula, about 40 kilometers southwest of the capital.
Photos show a red cloud illuminating the night sky, visible several kilometers away. Photos and video taken from a helicopter that the Coast Guard sent out for an inspection, show red lava flowing out of a crack formation in the ground near Fagradalsfjall.
Iceland’s main airport Keflavik and the small fishing village of Grindavik are only a few kilometers away, and all flights to and from Keflavik were canceled. However, the area where the volcanic eruption is taking place is uninhabited, and it is not expected that the eruption will pose any danger.
Small eruption
– The eruption started at Geldingadalur by Fagradalsfjall at 21.45 tonight. The eruption is considered small, and the crack formation is around 500-700 meters long. The size of the lava covers less than 1 square meter, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Institute.
The institute describes the outbreak activity as small. In addition, only very small defects have been measured on the seismometers, the institute states.
The Norwegian Armed Forces has F-35 aircraft stationed in Iceland, where they guard Icelandic airspace.
– For us, this is perceived as undramatic and we are fine. We comply with guidelines issued by the Icelandic authorities, the Air Force’s spokesperson Stian Roan told NTB on Saturday night.
Ask people to stay away
By Saturday night, there had been no reports of ash spreading, but it was expected that gas emissions and finds of solidified magma fragments would be registered. People living east of the volcano were asked to keep their windows closed and stay indoors as a result of the risk of possible gas pollution.
Gas emissions, especially sulfur dioxide, can reach high levels in the immediate vicinity of a volcanic eruption, and can pose a health hazard and even be fatal. Depending on the wind direction, the gas can also be transported to places further away.
The eruption is located in a valley located about 4.7 kilometers from the southern coast of the peninsula. Police and coastguards were dispatched to the scene and spectators were asked to stay away. The main road between Keflavik and Reykjavik was temporarily closed.
– All the main roads in the area have been closed so that people do not get too close. It is important that people stay calm for the first few hours to see how this develops further, says Davíð Már Bjarnason in the rescue service to Morgunbladid.
First time in 900 years
The volcanic eruption is close to Fagradalsfjall and Keilir – two mountains located in the Krýsuvík area – a volcanic system without any central volcano and where there have been no eruptions since the 12th century. The last eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula was in the year 1240.
Fagradalsfjall is not far from the Blue Lagoon. It was expected in advance that if an eruption were to take place, it would occur in a seismic fissure between Fagradalsfjall and Keilir Mountain.
This is a moon-like landscape and is an uninhabited area. An outbreak is therefore not considered to be a threat to people’s lives.
50,000 earthquakes
Volcanic eruptions in this area are called effusive, ie lava flows evenly from the ground, in contrast to explosive eruptions where volcanoes spew ash clouds high into the air.
It will probably be a limited lava eruption and with relatively little ash, geophysicist Páll Einarsson at the University of Iceland told AFP earlier this month.
On February 24, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake was measured in the area. Since then, more than 50,000 small earthquakes have been recorded, the highest number since digital recordings began in 1991.
In the days before Friday’s eruption, seismic activity had slowed.
In recent days, magma was measured 1 kilometer below the ground surface around Fagradalsfjall.
Iceland has 32 volcanic systems that are considered active. On average, the country has an outbreak every five years.
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