On Sunday, a volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted for the second time in less than a month, causing lava to flow towards a nearby community and resulting in at least one home catching fire. The eruption occurred near the city of Reykjavik.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a volcanic eruption occurred at around 8 a.m. in Grindavik, prompting the evacuation of the town due to a series of minor earthquakes. Later on, another crack formed on the outskirts of town and molten lava gradually approached residential areas.

According to Reynir Berg Jónsson, a resident of Grindavik, there is nothing else we can do but watch it through the cameras, as he stated on Iceland’s RUV television.

The town of Grindavik has a population of 3,800 and is located approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. In November, the town was evacuated due to a series of earthquakes that caused significant fissures in the ground between the town and Sýlingarfell, a nearby mountain. As a result, the popular tourist destination, Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, was also temporarily closed.

The volcano finally exploded on December 18, and locals were given permission to go back to their houses on December 22.

Over the past few weeks, rescue personnel have constructed protective barriers around Grindavik in response to the ongoing threat of lava. Despite efforts, the barriers are not yet fully in place and the lava continues to advance towards the town, according to the meteorological office.

Prior to the recent eruption, the Svartsengi volcanic system located north of Grindavik had not been active for approximately 780 years. The volcano is situated just a short distance west of Fagradalsfjall, which had been inactive for 6,000 years before suddenly erupting in March of this year.

Kristín Jónsdóttir from the Met Office reported that Saturday’s eruption at Svartsengi resulted in a swift movement of lava towards Grindavik, unlike the previous event.

“Fortunately, we received warnings which led to heightened earthquake activity. This information was relayed to the civil protection, resulting in the evacuation of Grindavik.”

The country of Iceland, located above a location of active volcanoes in the North Atlantic, experiences an average of one volcanic eruption every four to five years.

One of the most disruptive events in recent history was the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010. It released large amounts of ash into the air and caused major disruption to trans-Atlantic air travel for several months.

The recent volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula is not anticipated to produce significant amounts of ash in the atmosphere. Keflavík Airport is operating normally, according to Gudjon Helgason, spokesperson for the airport’s operator, Isavia.

However, the residents of Grindavik are closely watching the gradual disaster as the streams of smoldering lava inch closer to their houses.

“I can’t really imagine what people are going through,” said Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove, a nature photographer. “The fact that you can see this on television, the fact that you can see this on webcams, it’s a bit of a weird feeling to see a town being destroyed almost in slow motion at this point.”

Source: wral.com