A volcanic eruption, the fourth in three years, began Monday evening in Iceland, in an area where seismic activity has been very intense since the beginning of November, the Icelandic Meteorological Institute said.
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“A massive eruption began a few kilometers northeast of Grindavik,” the IMO announced shortly after in a press release, explaining that the aviation color code had changed to red.
However, Icelandic airport operator ISAVIA said on its website: “At the moment, there are no interruptions to arrivals or departures at Keflavik Airport.”
The Reykjanes Peninsula, south of the capital, Reykjavik, was untouched by volcanic eruptions for eight centuries, until March 2021.
Since then, two more incidents have occurred, in August 2022 and July 2023, indicating to volcanologists that volcanic activity has resumed in the region.
Thirty-two volcanic systems are active in this fiery and icy country, the most volcanic region in Europe.
On November 11, residents of Grindavik, a picturesque village of 4,000 people, were evacuated as a precaution after hundreds of earthquakes caused by the movement of magma beneath the Earth’s crust, the initial sign of a volcanic eruption.
Since then, they have been allowed to visit their homes only during certain periods of time during the day.
