Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula Erupts for Fifth Time Since December, Triggers Evacuations

May 29, 2024, 01:45 PM

A new volcanic eruption has started on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula, marking the fifth eruption since December. The eruption, which began near the fishing town of Grindavík, has triggered evacuation notices and a state of emergency declared by the National Police Commissioner. The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was evacuated as a precaution. The eruption follows a series of earthquakes, with 150 detected in the last two hours, and a magma flow has been observed at the Sundhnúksgígar crater row. The fissure is now about 3.4 km long, with lava flowing at an estimated rate of 1,500-2,000 m³/s and reaching heights of 50 meters (165 ft.) along the 1.5 mile-long fissure. This event comes just 20 days after the previous eruption was officially declared over.