LONDON (AP) – A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland appears to have subsided, but scientists are warning that more eruptions could occur in the region in the coming months.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office announced late Thursday that the size of the eruption had decreased significantly.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the eruption began at around 6 a.m. local time on Thursday in the area northeast of Mount Seelingarfell. This prompted the eviction of the popular Blue Lagoon hot springs spa and cut off heating and hot water supplies to several communities on the Reykjanes Peninsula in the island’s southwestern corner.
On February 8, 2023, molten lava can be seen overflowing from the road leading to the famous Blue Lagoon tourist destination near Grindavik in western Iceland. A volcanic eruption began Thursday on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland, the third time to hit the region since December. said the authorities. (Photo credit: Kristinn Magnusson/AFP) / Iceland OUT (Photo credit: KRISTINN MAGNUSSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Grindavik, Iceland – February 8, 2024: (South Africa Out) Natural and infrared satellite images of lava flows from Syringarfell volcano, north of the town of Grindavik, on February 8, 2024. This image is part of a series. (Photo credit: Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2024)
Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir said authorities hoped to restore hot water to the area by midday on Friday, state broadcaster RUV reported.
The eruption site is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that had been evacuated before the previous eruption on December 18. The town was not threatened by Thursday’s eruption.
Geophysicist Benedikt Ofeigsson from the Icelandic Meteorological Agency told RUV that the region could see eruptions almost every month for the next few months.
“In the long term, it’s very hard to say, but in the short term, we’ll probably see repeated magma intrusion and eruptions over the next few months,” he said.
Grindavik, Iceland – February 8: Emergency services close a road as lava spews from a fissure in Grindavik, Iceland, on February 8, 2024. A volcanic fissure opened north of Grindavik near the power plant and the Blue Lagoon, cutting off power to Keflavík International Airport.
Grindavik, Iceland – February 8: ( —- For editorial use only – Credit required – “Iceland Civil Defense/Handout” – No marketing, no advertising campaigns – Distributed as a service to clients—-) To aerial photography shows lava after a volcanic eruption in the northeast. Syringarfell near Grindavik, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, early Thursday morning, February 8, 2024. (Photo by: Iceland Civil Defense/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
