The eruption occurred on Friday, with the night sky illuminated and hundreds of small earthquakes shaking the area.
Experts said a volcano that spewed red lava near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik after waking for the first time in 900 years posed no threat to people on Saturday.
The red lava streams bubbled and originated from a valley in Geldingdalur, close to Mount Fagradalsfjal on the Rekzenes peninsula in southwestern Iceland.
As the flow of lava slowed under rain showers on Saturday, a blue gas plume and a vapor cloud erupted from the site, 40 km from the capital, and near the Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa, a popular tourist destination.
The explosion occurred around 2045 GMT on Friday, which lit up the night sky with a crimson glow as hundreds of small earthquakes shook the area.
While Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport and Grindavik’s small fishing port are just a few kilometers away, the area is uninhabited and there is no public threat from the explosion.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said in a statement on Saturday, “At this stage the eruption is considered to be smaller than yesterday evening and there has been some decrease in volcanic activity since yesterday evening.”
It states that “blasted fissure is measured from about 500 to 700 meters.
This added lava area was less than a square kilometer with small lava fountains.
Speaking to reporters, University of Iceland geophysicist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson described the valley as an “ideal” location for the eruption, comparing it to “how lava in the bathtub can slowly leak.”
IMO earthquake hazards coordinator Kristin Jonsdottir said it was “very likely that the eruption will last for the next few days”.
Friday’s eruption occurred in the Krusikvik volcanic system, which does not contain a central volcano, about five kilometers inland from the southern coast.
54-year-old Grindavik port official Sigurdur Christmundson told AFP The explosion was carried out by the locals.
“Nobody is in danger or anything like that. So I think people are excited and not afraid of it, ”he said.
Idle for 900 years
Entry into the area was initially closed, but it was later opened to the public, although Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management insisted that several hours’ hike from the nearest road only be recommended for those Were those who “lived on the road in difficult conditions.”
Gases from a volcanic eruption – particularly sulfur dioxide – can be elevated in the immediate vicinity, and can pose a health hazard and even be fatal.
Gas pollution can also be driven by air.
“Currently, there is not expected to be much inconvenience to people due to gas pollution, except close to the source of the explosion. IMO said that gas emissions would be closely monitored.
According to IMO, the Kryusuvik system has been dormant for the past 900 years, while the last eruption on the Rekzen peninsula occurred about 800 years ago and lasted for about 30 years from 1210 to 1240.
But surveillance was heightened for several weeks after a 5.7 magnitude earthquake was recorded on 24 February near Mount Kilir on the outskirts of Reykjavik in the region.
More than 50,000 small tremors have been recorded since then, and magma was detected in recent days at a distance of one kilometer below the Earth’s surface near Phagadalasfajal.
Geophysicist Gudmundsson said the eruption signaled a new period “that could have occurred in previous centuries with eruptions, possibly from 10 years to 100 years.”
Land of fire and ice
There are currently 32 volcanic systems considered active in Iceland, the highest number in Europe. The country has exploded on an average every five years.
The massive island near the Arctic Circle extends the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack at the ocean floor that separates the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
The transfer of these plates is responsible for Iceland’s intense volcanic activity.
The most recent eruption was in Holuhrun, which began in August 2014 and ended in February 2015 in the Bardarbunga volcanic system in a deserted area in the center of the island.
The explosion did not cause any major disturbances in the immediate vicinity.
But in 2010, an eruption in the Eyjafjallajökull volcano sent huge clouds of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic for more than a week and canceling more than 100,000 flights worldwide, leaving nearly 10 million stranded Left.
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