Experts say Iceland’s volcanic eruption WON’T trigger air journey chaos
- Eruption on the Sundhjuka happened on Monday night time and was captured in jaw-dropping footage
- Magma had constructed up beneath the floor of the Reykjanes peninsula for weeks
- Have you been affected by the eruption? Email: [email protected]
British holidaymakers are ready anxiously to see if their flights to Iceland might be cancelled or delayed after the nation’s volcano erupted final night time, with native consultants warning ‘it is a very completely different creature to something we have seen earlier than’.
The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula simply north of the evacuated city of Grindavik started final night time at round 10.17 pm after an earthquake swarm, the Icelandic Meteorological Office stated, referring to a collection of small shakes.
Live-streamed footage of the eruption confirmed molten lava spewing into the sky from fissures within the floor, surrounded by billowing clouds of crimson smoke.
There are fears that the eruption, which has seen 200 cubic metres of lava spewing out from the fissures each second, may trigger havoc to air visitors journey after one other Icelandic eruption in 2010 grounded hundreds of flights throughout Europe and North America and noticed holidaymakers stranded.
Flights from Reykjavik’s worldwide Keflavik airport have been delayed final night time, with an EasyJet flight to Manchester standing on the tarmac for 5 hours earlier than taking off at 1.35am as a result of volcanic exercise.
Passengers have been informed by easyJet: ‘We’re sorry that your flight has been delayed. This is as a result of volcanic exercise in Keflavik (KEF) is inflicting restrictions to the areas wherein plane are permitted to fly.’
British holidaymakers are actually ready anxiously to see if their flights might be cancelled as we speak – however the Icelandic authorities and airways together with EasyJet have stated the airports in Iceland are ‘not impacted’ and flights needs to be working ‘as scheduled’.
Indeed, Hallgrímur Indriðason, a journalist from Icelandic state broadcaster RUV, stated there was ‘no menace to air visitors – not less than not for now’ with Reykjavik’s worldwide Keflavik airport remaining open as we speak.
This picture produced from video offered by the Icelandic Coast Guard reveals magma move on a hill close to Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on Monday night time
Emergency personnel and scientists observe the billowing smoke and flowing lava turning the sky orange are seen on this Icelandic Coast Guard handout picture flying over an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula 3 km north of Grindavik on Monday night time
A volcano spews lava and smoke because it erupts close to Grindavik, Iceland, on Tuesday morning
Despite the apparent risks. the Ministry of the Environment was pressured to difficulty repeated warnings to these occupied with getting near the volcano
Local resident watch smoke billow because the lava color the night time sky orange from an volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula 3 km north of Grindavik, western Iceland within the early hours of Tuesday morning
First aerial footage of the eruption reveals almost two miles of lava popping out of the fissure
The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula simply north of the evacuated city of Grindavik started final night time at round 10.17 pm after an earthquake swarm, the Icelandic Meteorological Office stated, referring to a collection of small shakes
Quite a few individuals might be seen watching the eruption from a distance
A volcano spews lava and smoke because it erupts in Grindavik, Iceland, on Monday night time
First aerial footage reveals the volcanic fissure, which is estimated to be almost two miles lengthy
Pictures taken at 5 o’clock final night time from a Coast Guard helicopter present the lava spilling out of the fissures
Pictures on social media present the sky being tinted crimson by the lava spurts
‘The 2010 eruption was completely different as a result of it erupted beneath a glacier and when this occurs you get this enormous explosive ash excessive up within the air which could be very high quality and stays up within the air for a very long time,’ Indriðason informed the BBC.
‘This is far completely different. This is a crack [in the ground] with lava move and the ash would not keep up within the air as a lot than in earlier circumstances. So except we had an eruption beneath the ocean – which there’s a slim probability of – then there’ll no affect on air visitors.’
‘The eruption doesn’t current a menace to life,’ an Icelandic authorities assertion stated. ‘There are not any disruptions to flights to and from Iceland and worldwide flight corridors stay open.’
But volcanologist Porvaldur Póroarson informed Icelandic newspaper MBL.is that this volcanic eruption is ‘a unique creature’ to what we’ve got seen earlier than as dramatic footage and video confirmed lava taking pictures up into the sky from fissures.
Póroarson stated the eruption north of Grindavik is the most important that has occurred on the Reykjanes Peninsula since 2019 whereas warning that the speed of sulphur dioxide being pumped into the air is far larger than in earlier years.
Indeed, the Norwegian Meteorological Agency estimated that 100 to 200 cubic meters of lava is spewing out per second, which is ‘many occasions greater than in earlier eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent times.’
‘This is a unique creature than we’ve got seen in Fagradalsfjall,’ Poroarson stated of the eruption that started final night time.
It comes as thrill-seekers final night time defied hazard warnings and ventured close to the positioning of an enormous volcano eruption in Iceland – regardless of effervescent lava and smoke being spewed into the sky.
Astonishing footage – together with one in every of scores of vehicles queuing to get near the world – present individuals making an attempt to witness Mother Nature’s work first-hand.
The eruption started round 2.4 miles from the city of Grindavik simply after 10pm on Monday on the Sundhjuka crater, on the Reykjanes peninsula.
It comes after a collection of earthquakes pressured hundreds to be evacuated final month because the nation declared a state of emergency and braced itself for the upcoming explosion.
Jaw-dropping footage final night time captured Iceland’s black night time sky lit up a deep orange color as molten rock flew into the air in spectacular scenes which continued into the early hours of this morning.
Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson, a scientist who flew over the positioning on Tuesday morning onboard an coast guard analysis flight, informed Icelandic broadcaster RUV that he estimates twice as a lot lava had already spewed than the complete monthlong eruption on the peninsula this summer time.
Gudmundsson stated the eruption was anticipated to proceed reducing in depth however that scientists do not know how lengthy it may final. ‘It might be over in per week, or it may take fairly a bit longer,’ he stated.
However, regardless of the apparent risks, the Ministry of the Environment was pressured to difficulty repeated warnings to these occupied with getting near the volcano.
‘Think about somebody aside from your self and comply with the rules of the general public security. Please,’ one spokesman begged.
Icelandic Police added: ‘An eruption has begun. We ask individuals to not be in entrance of the responders and to not go within the course of the eruption. It is vital that roads and different issues are as accessible as attainable.’
Police stated that they had raised their alert degree and the nation’s civil defence warned the general public to not method the world whereas emergency personnel assessed the state of affairs.
But thrill-seekers defied the orders and have been pictured standing near the plumes of lava spewing out of the cracks within the floor.
Indeed, the spectacular pure phenomenon is tough for individuals to withstand. ‘It’s simply one thing from a film!’ stated Robert Donald Forrester III, a vacationer from the United States.
Four boys named Jói, Halli, Stefán and Stefán, informed native media that they all the time head in the direction of eruptions in Reykjanes.
‘We try to see the eruption. Unfortunately, we did not get any nearer. It’s a interest that we have had for 4 years, attending each single eruption, and we’ll proceed to take action.’
A volcano spews Lava and smoke because it erupts, north of Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, within the early hours of Tuesday morning
Iceland is a selected hotspot for seismic exercise as a result of it sits on a tectonic plate boundary referred to as the Mid Atlantic Ridge
People watch as a volcano erupts on the Reykjanes Peninsula close to the facility station on Monday night time north of Grindavik
A gaggle watches as smoke billows into the sky from the volcano explosion
The Reykjanesbraut, a key Icelandic freeway within the space, was lit up with white headlights from vehicles travelling in the direction of, not away from, the crater (left) whereas vehicles have been parked close by (proper)
People watch as a volcano erupts on the Reykjanes Peninsula close to the facility station on Monday night time north of Grindavik
A handout image offered by Iceland Civil Defense reveals a volcanic eruption north of Grindavik, Iceland, on Monday
Billowing smoke and flowing lava turning the sky orange are seen following the volcanic eruption on Monday night time
Billowing smoke and flowing lava turning the sky orange are seen on this Icelandic Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management handout picture on Tuesday
A volcano spews lava and smoke because it erupts in Grindavik, Iceland, on Monday night time
Lava spews from the volcano after it erupted north of Grindavík on Monday night time
People watch as a volcano erupts on the Reykjanes Peninsula close to the facility station on Monday night time north of Grindavik
Lava fountains are seen as volcanic eruption began, turning the sky orange, in Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula
The street is blocked on the entrance of the street to GrindavÃok with the eruption within the background, in Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on Monday night time
Witnesses have described the lava streaming out of the fissures as a two-mile-long ‘lake of fireplace’
The police automobile is parked on the entrance of the street to Grindavak with the eruption within the background, close to Grindavik on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula on Monday night time
A earlier than and after of the Sundhjuka crater, on the Reykjanes peninsula
For native residents, the feelings are combined. ‘The city concerned would possibly find yourself beneath the lava,’ stated Ael Kermarec, a French tour information residing in Iceland. ‘It’s wonderful to see however, there’s sort of a bittersweet feeling for the time being.’
Mother-of-three and masseuse Rakel Lilja Halldórsdóttir informed MailOnline: ‘We are blissful it lastly erupted so all this unknowing can cease. But it’s so near the whole lot, we have been hoping it would not be.
‘But they assume it will not get to Grindavík and can in all probability simply be a brief eruption and doubtless might be over quickly. About 10 days or so, hopefully that’s true.
‘Our home lies on a crack so it has gotten worse the injury surrounding our home. The home itself is semi okay… however I do not know if we might be allowed to repair it and dwell there as a result of it is on a crack.’
Iceland’s president, Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, stated shortly after the eruption: ‘It shouldn’t be clear what injury it may trigger, however now we depend on our scientists in addition to all those that have to do monitoring and different operations.
‘Above all else, we shield human life however we do all of the protection of constructions to the perfect of our potential. I ship heat greetings to the individuals of Grindavík and people who now work on the scene.’
Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, from the Icelandic nationwide defence, additionally warned individuals to not go close to the positioning of the eruption.
One picture confirmed the Reykjanesbraut, a key Icelandic freeway within the space, lit up with white headlights from vehicles travelling in the direction of the crater.
Fannar Jónasson, mayor of Grindavik, informed Icelandic information service Visi: ‘I’m simply, like others, making an attempt to get info. But this looks like fairly an explosion within the early levels. But you do not know something but. It’s going to be an extended night time.’
He added that a couple of hundred meters could make all of the distinction, irrespective of wherein course the lava flows.
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist on the Norwegian Meteorological Agency, stated the fissure, which is rising each minute, is simply a brief distance away from the city of Grindavík.
‘There is a relatively speedy improvement of the eruption. We noticed it rise at round 10.17pm, it has unfold in a short time and has moved to the south west. Is about 2.5 kilometers north of Grindavík. The eruption itself is just a little additional north than that.’
Meanwhile talking to native media because the blast started, volcanologist Þorvald Þórðarson admitted the eruption was the worst-case situation.
‘We have been speaking about two eventualities a couple of days in the past, one in every of which was that the whole lot was going to loosen up and die out, you have been hoping that was what was occurring,’ he stated.
‘The different is that this stretch of the crust above the intrusion would have reached its tolerance restrict and that it will begin to erupt. This is what we feared essentially the most.’
Hundreds have been seen returning to the area, regardless of a number of Icelandic authorities warning them to remain away for their very own security
A volcano spews lava and smoke because it erupts, on this view from Keflavik, Iceland
However, Kristín Jónsdóttir, head of pure hazards on the Icelandic Meteorological Office, stated the company expects this development to die down quickly.
‘The excellent news is that it’s now normally the geese that die out first and that’s what we anticipate to occur within the close to future.
‘That the exercise begins to be drawn to sure craters, and normally the middle of the crack is the place the place essentially the most exercise happens, and that crack is clearly north of the watershed.’
Grindavik, a fishing city of three,400, sits on the Reykjanes Peninsula, about 31 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
It can also be close to the Svartsengi geothermal energy station, which supplies as much as 74.4MW of power to the nation. The authorities stated it’s at present assessing the danger to close by power infrastructure.
The night time sky is illuminated brought on by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula
Benedikt Ófeigsson, a geophysicist on the Norwegian Meteorological Agency, stated the fissure, which is rising each minute
Pictures from surveillance cameras masking the volcano present lava spurts
People watch because the night time sky is illuminated brought on by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula
Lava spurts and smoke cowl the horizon in Iceland close to the eruption web site
An image taken in Iceland as seen from in Asbru, Reykjanesbaer, of the volcano eruption
On their web site, the Met Office stated the volcano eruption began at 10.17pm following an ‘earthquake swarm’ at 9pm.
eykjavik’s worldwide airport, which is situated close by, remained open
Iceland Police stated in an announcement: ‘An eruption has begun. We ask individuals to not be in entrance of the responders and to not go within the course of the eruption’
This comes after the volcano was hit by greater than 1,000 earthquakes in simply 24 hours on November 9, igniting fears of an imminent eruption.
On their web site, the Met Office stated the volcano eruption began at 10.17pm following an ‘earthquake swarm’ at 9pm.
Hjördís Guðmundsdóttir, from the Icelandic nationwide defence, additionally reiterated warnings that folks should not go close to the eruption web site. Nevertheless, massive crowds gathered on vantage factors to take a look at the lava spurts illuminating the sky.
This comes after the volcano was hit by greater than 1,000 earthquakes in simply 24 hours on November 9, igniting fears of an imminent eruption.
Data from Iceland’s Met Office reveals that inside the previous hour, there have been 11 earthquake inside a 5 km radius of Grindavík.
Fearing a major outbreak on the Reykjanes peninsula, authorities final month evacuated the almost 4,000 inhabitants of the fishing city of Grindavik and closed the close by Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
Geophysicist Benedikt Ofeigsson stated in November that there have been clear indicators that vast magma hall beneath the Reykjanes Peninsula was increasing.
The space across the Fagradalsfjall had braced itself for an eruption after enormous chasms ripping aside properties and roads in Grindavik.
On November 16, magmatic fuel was detected at a borehole in Svartsengi – 2.3 miles north of Grindavik – which consultants stated was a sign that an eruption is imminent.
An eruption of molten rock from the magma tunnel beneath Reykjanes was the most definitely situation following weeks of seismic exercise, the top of the volcano division on the climate service Kristin Jonsdottir informed RUV radio station final month.
Monitoring indicated {that a} hall of magma, or semi-molten rock, extends beneath the neighborhood, Iceland’s Meteorological Office stated. The city of three,400 is about 31 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik.
Volcanologist Haraldur Sigurðsson beforehand stated that if an eruption have been to occur, he expects that it may erupt into the ocean and says Grindavik must be ‘reorganised’ so as to mitigate the disk of future widespread destruction.
The space across the Fagradalsfjall had braced itself for an eruption after enormous chasms ripping aside properties and roads in Grindavik
‘I’m additionally frightened concerning the port. It would not take a lot to destroy this port, fill it with lava,’ Haraldur informed Iceland’s Morgunblaðið (MBL) newspaper.
‘There are each cracks there within the harbour and even when the magma comes up someplace outdoors, it flows into the harbour, as a result of that is the despair.
‘So, within the huge image, this city must be utterly reorganised,’ he added.
Asked by MBL’s reporter if he envisages a future wherein the individuals of Grindavik can return to their properties, he stated: ‘What did not individuals do in Vestmannaeyjar (a city hit by an eruption in 1973)? I feel the city needs to be reorganised.’
Scientists have stated that the eruption is unlikely to provide a plume of smoke just like the Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption, which grounded flights globally and value 1.5bn and a couple of.5bn euros (£1.3-2.2bn).
The peninsula in recent times noticed a number of eruptions in unpopulated areas, however the present outbreak was believed to pose a right away danger to the city, authorities have stated.
Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot-spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In March 2021, lava fountains erupted spectacularly from a 500-750-metre-long (1,640-2,460-foot-long) fissure within the floor within the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system.
Volcanic eruptions aren’t unusual in Iceland, residence to 33 lively volcano programs, the very best quantity in Europe.
The port Of Grindavik braced itself for what could possibly be an eruption of the close by Fagradalsfjall volcano or one of many fissures which have opened up within the space. Pictured: Crack throughout one in every of its important roads
Pictured: A police officer inspects a crack within the street within the fishing city of Grindavik, November 15
Eyjafjallajokull erupting in 2010 (pictured) produced an enormous cloud of ash that prompted the most important international aviation shutdown since World War II, with 50,000 flights cancelled and 8million passengers affected
But the Reykjanes peninsula had not skilled an eruption for eight centuries till 2021.
Since then, three eruptions have struck – all in distant, uninhabited areas – and volcanologists say this could possibly be the beginning of a brand new period of exercise within the area.
Previous eruptions close to the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula happened in 2021, 2022 and earlier this yr.
In 2010, the eruption of Iceland’s long-dormant Eyjafjallajokull volcano – an ice-capped volcano greater than 1,660 metres tall – shot enormous quantities of ash into the ambiance. That large, explosive eruption was not deadly, however pressured the cancellation of round 100,000 flights and left greater than 10 million travellers stranded.
Situated within the North Atlantic, Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack within the ocean flooring separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.
