Lava flows during a volcanic eruption near Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, on Thursday following the seventh eruption in the area since December. Photo by Anton Brink/EPA-EFE
A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted for the seventh time since December in the southwest area of the island nation.
The latest eruption created a fissure measuring nearly 2 miles in length after the eruption began at about 11 p.m. local time Wednesday night, according to Iceland’s Meteorological Office. Advertisement
The fissure stopped expanding about three hours after the eruption, which was much smaller than the last eruption in the same area on Aug. 22, the Met Office reported. That eruption produced a fissure measuring 2.5 miles.
“The eruption is in the same place as the last one in August,” Icelandic Tourist Board spokesperson Snorri Valsson told CNN. “The town of Grindavik is not threatened by the lava flow.”
Wednesday night’s eruption did not interfere with air traffic to and from Iceland on Thursday, but it did prompt the evacuation of two hotels at Iceland’s Blue Lagoon and a geothermal energy plant.
Valsson said about 60 people were evacuated from Grindavik, as well as those who were at the power plant and the two hotels at the Blue Lagoon.
The Blue Lagoon already was empty because the eruption occurred after its closing time. Advertisement
The eruption peaked at about 2 a.m., according to the Meteorological Office.
The Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland has produced 10 eruptions since January 2020.
Iceland is one of the most active areas for volcanic activity in the world and is situated along an active geological boundary between Europe and North America.
The volcanic activity is caused by the earth being pulled apart along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge instead of being a cone that erupts magma through a central chamber, University of Cincinnati earth sciences professor Thomas Algeo told ABC News.
The eruptions on Iceland typically are less dangerous than cone-type eruptions because the lava flows are slower there and much less violent than volcanic eruptions located in the Earth’s subduction zones, Algeo said.
In addition to frequent eruptions, Iceland also is prone to seismic activity and one day in 2023 recorded more than 1,000 earthquakes over a 24-hour period.
