Video of the time when Iceland’s volcano erupts after 800 years of inactivity

A small volcanic eruption continued this Saturday in Iceland about 40 km from the capital, Reykjavík, with no other consequence than to cause, for the first time in 800 years in this sector of the country, a river of lava and incandescent red magma.

After intense seismic activity for three weeks and a warning of an eruption, a torrent of lava erupted on Friday at 8.45pm from a crack in the ground in Geldingadalur, near Mount Fagradalsfjall, illuminating the night with a red cloud.

In some spectacular video footage recorded on Saturday by a Coast Guard helicopter, lava was seen flowing, covering just under 1 km 2 of surface, as well as blue gas fumaroles at the site of the eruption.

The site of the eruption is about 5 km inland. Photo: AFP

“The eruption is small and activity has declined slightly since Friday night. It is limited to a small area in the valley and is unlikely to cause damage,” the latest Meteorological Service (IMO) statement said. ) from Iceland, half day on Saturday.

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The Krysuvik volcanic system, which has no main crater, is located south of Mount Fagradalsfjall, on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland.

Close windows

Police and coastguards have been sent to the site but the population has been advised not to approach.

Photo: AFP

Keflavik Icelandic International Airport and the small fishing port of Grindavik are only a few km away, but the area is uninhabited and the eruption is not expected to be dangerous.

So far, authorities have not reported ash falling, but they could produce fragments of tephra (solidified magma) and gas emissions.

Police are advising residents living east of the volcano to close their windows and stay home because of the risk of gas pollution.

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For now, traffic could continue at Keflavik Airport.

Gas emissions from volcanoes, especially sulfur dioxide, can be high in the vicinity of an eruption and pose a health hazard, even being fatal.

At a distance, pollution can exceed acceptable limits, depending on wind. The gas “can cause problems and have harmful effects on health,” the Icelandic Environment Agency warned.

Volcanic eruptions in the region are effusive, meaning most of the lava flows to the ground, unlike explosives that throw clouds of ash into the sky.

The Krysuvik volcanic system has been inactive for 900 years, according to the Meteorological Office, and the last eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula dates back almost 800 years, to 1240.

Extreme vigilance

The area has been under surveillance for weeks because a magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook Mount Keilir on the outskirts of Reykjavík on 24 February.

This earthquake was followed by an unusual number of less strong tremors: more than 50,000, the largest number since digital records began in 1991.

Since then seismic activity has shifted several kilometers to the southwest, centering around Mount Fagradalsfjall, where magma has been detected just one kilometer below the earth’s surface in recent days.

This large island near the Arctic Circle extends over the Meso-Atlantic ridge, a fissure at the bottom of the ocean that separates the Eurasian and American tectonic plates.

The displacement of these plates is partly responsible for the intense volcanic activity of Iceland.

The most recent eruption occurred in Holuhraun (began in August 2014 and ended in February 2015), in the Bárdarbunga volcanic system, in an uninhabited area in the center of the island.

This eruption did not cause major problems, beyond those caused to the nearest populations.

But in 2010, an eruption on Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed huge clouds of smoke and ash into the atmosphere, disrupting air traffic for more than a week, with the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights worldwide. which left about 10 million passengers stranded for days.