Volcano erupts in Southwest Iceland, threatening fishing town despite evacuation

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, creating an immediate threat to a nearby small fishing town, despite its earlier evacuation.

The eruption, north of Grindavik, was captured in early-morning footage, showing molten rock spewing from fissures, with bright orange lava against the dark sky.

Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson assured that no lives were in danger, although there might be a risk to infrastructure. The town of Grindavik had been evacuated for the second time in a month due to the potential outbreak signalled by seismic activity.

Efforts to build barriers had been ongoing to prevent lava from reaching Grindavik, situated 40 km southwest of Reykjavik. However, the latest eruption seemed to have breached the town's defences.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office reported a crack opening on both sides of the defences, and lava was flowing toward Grindavik, coming within approximately 450 meters. Based on flow models, it was estimated that the lava could reach Grindavik in a few hours if the current trajectory persisted.

This marks the second volcanic eruption in less than a month on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland and the fifth since 2021. The previous eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system prompted the evacuation of Grindavik's residents and the closure of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. Although over 100 Grindavik residents had returned recently, a renewed evacuation order was issued on Saturday.

Iceland, positioned between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activities due to the plates' opposing movements.

While the Reykjanes volcano systems are not trapped under glaciers like Eyafjallajokull, which caused ash clouds affecting Europe in 2010, they remain significant geological hotspots.