A volcano in Iceland erupted Saturday for the fourth time in three months, sending fountains of lava into the skies and creating mind-bending scenes on the ground.
The citizens of Grindavik, Iceland were first evacuated in November 2023 as a local volcano started to rumble with activity. The full eruption started a little over a month later in December, sending earthquake swarms and lava flows throughout the region. The same system has actively erupted on-and-off ever since, with the most recent fissure opening about 1.9 miles in length from the Stóra-Skógfell towards Hagafell, according to CNN.
Absolutely insane videos and images were shared across social media of the eruption, showing the astounding power of the natural world when she wakes up.
A volcano in Iceland erupted for the fourth time in three months on the Reykjanes Peninsula, on Saturday night, spewing orange streams of lava. https://t.co/oH4nKU3zln pic.twitter.com/HS3zrabaEj
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) March 17, 2024
Iceland volcano still pouring out fountains of lava https://t.co/iTIl4DkC9R pic.twitter.com/EqtzA8orFQ
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 18, 2024
🌋 Good morning! Here’s the latest update on the eruption in #Icdeland
🔸 The eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been ongoing for approximately 36 hours.
🔸 Initial GPS measurements post-eruption show ongoing land rise beneath Svartsengi, per the Southern Volcanoes and… pic.twitter.com/xkVwm5f0m4
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) March 18, 2024
Saturday’s eruption is the most powerful of the last month’s seismic activity, and is expected to start hitting local roads and infrastructure in the coming days or even hours, CNN reported. The world-famous Blue Lagoon and Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport are both reportedly being watched closely as the eruption is happening on the same peninsula.
Icelandic police declared a state of emergency on Saturday as lava spewed from a new volcanic fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula — in pictures https://t.co/nUMhqJRQ6z pic.twitter.com/3lD67LyFMW
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 18, 2024
Wow! With essentially no warning (as was possible) a new eruption has started just minutes ago on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula. This appears to be in the same location as the first and third eruptions. #Iceland #Eruption pic.twitter.com/cwMQY8cI3Y
— Alex Spahn 🌋🌪️☄️ (@spahn711) March 16, 2024
Blue Lagoon was evacuated following the most recent eruption, but the airport remains fully operational at the time of writing. (RELATED: Scientists Reveal Ancient Cataclysm That Plunged The World Into Darkness 1,500 Years Ago)
Previous eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula since December lasted just a few days and consumed a handful of buildings, The Associated Press reported. No deaths have been reported, but one workman was officially declared missing after falling into an open fissure near the volcano, according to the outlet.