Volcano Erupts in Southwest Iceland after Weeks of Earthquake Activity (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An eruption has commenced on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwestern Iceland, marking the culmination of weeks of seismic unrest that led to structural damage, the displacement of residents, and the evacuation of a nearby fishing village.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) confirmed that the eruption initiated on Monday at around 10 pm local time, approximately three kilometers (two miles) north of Grindavik. Preceding the eruption, a series of earthquakes had been rattling the area for about an hour.
Authorities dispatched a Coast Guard helicopter to ascertain the precise location and scale of the eruption, coinciding with the issuance of the IMO statement. Last month, roughly 4,000 residents of Grindavik were compelled to evacuate their residences as the Icelandic authorities cautioned about the imminent threat of underground magma approaching the surface.
The erupting volcano lies in proximity to one of Iceland's renowned tourist spots, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, which had been shuttered since November 9 due to the heightened seismic activity. Grindavik, situated around 35 miles southwest of Reykjavik, reportedly provided a visible vantage point for the eruption, observable from Iceland's capital city.
Social media circulated a video clip purporting to capture the view of the volcano from a departing plane at Keflavik Airport, west of Reykjavik.
Recalling the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland, that event unleashed substantial volcanic ash clouds into the atmosphere, causing the most extensive disruption to European air travel since World War II.
