A volcano erupted in Iceland Monday night around 10:17 p.m., about two miles from the fishing village of Grindavík. Cameras captured the moment the lava broke through the ground.
Byrjunin á eldgosinu á vefmyndavél RÚV yfir Grindavík
0:13 pic.twitter.com/Jx3icbxuxx
— Birkir (@birkirh) December 18, 2023
Police have declared a state of emergency as lava flowed through the Reykjanes Peninsula, per NBC. Tourist spots have been closed.
More than 3,400 people in Grindavík were evacuated last month after several earthquakes led to roads cracking and emitting plumes of steam.
Beautiful picture of the erupting fissure. It looks like the 3,5 km fissure is on a northern sloping area thus the lava is flowing towards the north, which is good news for the people of Grindavík. #icelandvolcano ?Almannavarnir pic.twitter.com/8HquScvdpn
— Lava Centre (@LavaCentre) December 19, 2023
The lava flow has decreased as of Tuesday morning, but the event is ongoing, per authorities.
“It can be over in a week, or it could take quite a bit longer,” scientist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson told Euronews.
Iceland’s main international airport, Reykjavík–Keflavík, remains open.
UPDATE: After the Iceland eruption made a bold entrance, the rate has slowed with the greatest activity focused near the northern end of the fissure (away from Grindavik), according to @Vedurstofan. HOWEVER, this doesn’t mean the eruption is over yet.https://t.co/yzFNGfSzXT
— Maya Wei-Haas, Ph.D. (@WeiPoints) December 19, 2023
“This is not a tourist attraction and you must watch it from a great distance,” Vidir Reynisson, head of Iceland’s Civil Protection and Emergency Management, told national broadcaster RUV.
My first close-up shots of the new eruption on Reykjanes Peninsula which began a few hours ago (December 19th, 2023).
© Hörður Kristleifsson – @h0rdur pic.twitter.com/1Ue3b2B1kO
— Hörður Kristleifsson (@h0rdur) December 19, 2023