The calm of more than 800 years broke in the southwest of Iceland when a volcano on the peninsula Reykjanes came back to life, surprising authorities and residents. But this event went from astounding to customary: it’s the seventh time it’s happened since December.
The eruption began unexpectedly at 11:14 p.m. on Wednesday, which gender a three kilometer fissure in length that released lava towards one of the country’s main tourist attractions, the geothermal spa “Blue Lagoon”. This event was characterized by a lower intensity compared to the previous eruption in August, according to the Icelandic meteorological office, as the fissure reached four kilometers in length.
Faced with this situation, the authorities acted quickly to guarantee the safety of residents and visitors. About 50 houses were evacuated and the guests of the spa hotels, while the lava advanced to consume a service building and the parking lot of the place, according to the news agency AP in your article.
Although the pipes carrying hot water to the peninsula were designed to withstand the lava flow, the gas emissions led authorities to send alerts in Grindavíka nearby town that It had already been partially evacuated the previous year. There was also no aerial risk caused by ash.
However, the city is not in danger. “The eruption occurred in the same place as the last one, in August of this year. Grindavik not threatened by lava flow“, he assured Snorri Valssonspokesperson for the Icelandic Tourist Board, in conversation with CNN.
The constant volcanic eruptions on the peninsula of Reykjanes transformed the lives of the inhabitants of Grindavík, located about 50 kilometers southwest of the capital, Reykjavík.
Before volcanic reactivation, this community It had approximately 3,800 residentsbut the recurrence of volcanic activity damaged infrastructure and property, forcing many to abandon their homes.
Although authorities assure that this new eruption does not represent an immediate danger to the town, uncertainty persists, especially with the possibility that the crack could extend.
Iceland’s intense volcanic activity is a direct consequence of its unique geological location, sitting on a hot spot in the North Atlantic. This phenomenon makes the country one of the territories with the highest number of volcanic eruptions in the world, registering an event of this type, on average, every four or five yearsas reported AP.
The dynamics of the hot spot generate a constant flow of magma that crosses the Earth’s crust, giving rise to recurring volcanic activity that is as spectacular as it is challenging for those who live in the region. According to CNNSince the beginning of 2020, there have already been 10 eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula alone.
Despite the frequency of these phenomena, not all eruptions have the same impact. Some, like that of Eyjafjallajökull (volcano in the south of the country) in 2010, reached a level of global notoriety due to the consequences they generate beyond the country’s borders.
In that case, the ash clouds emitted significantly disrupted international air trafficwhich affected transatlantic routes and caused million-dollar losses in the industry. Although most eruptions are localized and smaller in scale, each one underscores the continuing interaction between Iceland’s geological forces and the daily lives of its inhabitants.
