Three lava vents from the volcano in Grindavik are keeping Icelandic authorities on alert, who are monitoring the eruption southwest of Reykjavik. The intensity of this emission has decreased, but the approximately four thousand residents of the city that owes its name to the volcano remain alert. According to the police announcement on Facebook, all roads around the city are closed and should remain so for the next few days.
“The eruption – which started on Monday after an earthquake – continues to weaken. New aerial images of the area show there are now three vents [saídas de lava] southeast of Stóra-Skógfell, compared to five previously,” the Icelandic Meteorological Institute (IMO) said in its latest assessment, although it expected new lava flows along the rift.
Live-streamed footage of the eruption shows jets of bright orange lava erupting from a fault, surrounded by clouds of smoke.
“Our thoughts are (…) with the local population [de Grindavík]We hope for the best, but it is clear that this is a significant outburst,” the head of the Icelandic government, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, emphasized via the social network Facebook.
The gorge is about four kilometers long, much longer than during the last summer eruption.
“At this time there are no disruptions to arrivals or departures at Keflavik Airport,” Icelandic airport operator ISAVIA assured on its website, at a time of year when traffic is relatively low.
Another problem that the authorities face is people’s curiosity, which led the head of civil protection and emergency management in Iceland, Vídir Reynisson, to emphasize that this new eruption “is not a tourist eruption and that it is necessary to observe it up close.” statements to local public television RUV.
Source: DN
