Volcanic eruption in Iceland spews lava more than 160 feet; The famous Blue Lagoon evacuated

A massive volcanic eruption at Iceland’s Sundhnúkur crater on Wednesday spewed lava more than 160 feet into the air, authorities said.

The crater is located on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwest Iceland, where authorities have evacuated the seaside town of Grindavík, including the country’s biggest tourist attraction, the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

It is the region’s fifth and most powerful eruption since December and the eighth since the volcanic system became active three years ago in March 2021, after 800 years without an eruption.

Most of Grindavik’s 4,000 residents were permanently evacuated in November 2023 due to ongoing volcanic activity.

Grindavík is approximately 30 miles south of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik.

The eruption began around 12:46 p.m. local time on Wednesday, causing a fairly intense lava flow surrounding the Hagafell volcano to the east and then south towards the Melhólsnáma mine, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO). ).

The lava eruptions reached 164 feet high and the length of the fissure was about 2 miles, the agency said.

The extrusion rate, or flow rate of the lava flow, is roughly estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 cubic meters per second, IMO.

The agency warned that lava flowing from the southernmost opening of the fissure is now less than a kilometer from the lava barriers north of Grindavík.

“Scientists’ initial assessment is that the onset of this eruption is more powerful than in previous eruptions,” the office said in a statement.

Authorities warned that gas pollution would be seen toward the southeast of the region and could, later on Wednesday, spread east to Selvogur and Ölfus, Iceland.

By Thursday, gas pollution is expected to be transported northeast and could be felt in the capital Reykjavik.

Wednesday’s eruption comes nearly three weeks after the end of a previous eruption that began on March 16 in Hagafell and Stora-Skogfell on the same Reykjanes Peninsula and lasted eight weeks.