Alas, Poor Grindavík: Iceland Eruption Commences in a Terrible Location

The Reykajanes volcanic system just gave Iceland an awful early Christmas present: a brand new eruption in nearly the worst possible spot. Alas, we can’t return it.

After a long period of quiet, a seismic swarm began just after 9 pm local time in the darkness of a December night. At around 10:20 pm, the ground split open and the magma that had intruded in a long dike over the last two months emerged in spectacular lava fountains, some reaching hundreds of meters in height. The volume of lava is a staggering 100-200 cubic meters per second, dwarfing the other recent Reykjanes eruptions. The fissures quickly expanded to around 4 kilometers in length, and as of this writing are still opening.

Thankfully, the lava flows seem to be headed north instead of south for the moment, which is about the only good news for Grindavík. If flows turn south, they could enter the town in a matter of hours. The southern end of the fissure is just 2.5 kilometers north.

This eruption is the most powerful of all those which have occurred since the Reykjanes peninsula awakened after a long volcanic slumber. Ármann Höskuldsson, an Icelandic volcanologist, estimates this eruption is 3-4 times the size of the last eruptions. Kristín Jónsdóttir of the Icelandic Met Office believes the eruption will last for months rather than weeks. And it’s certainly not going to be as friendly to tourists or infrastructure this time round. Let’s hope the fortifications built around the Blue Lagoon hold.

Foresight saved Grindavík residents from disaster: despite the recent quiet, no one was allowed to stay in town past 9 pm, so the town was deserted when the eruption began. The Blue Lagoon had just opened to tourists earlier in the day, but everyone had left before the first fissure opened. Construction crews working on the defensive wall around Svartsengi got to watch the eruption start, but are safe. Once again, Iceland has managed a volcanic emergency nearly flawlessly. Monitoring, science, and civil defense all combined to ensure that a natural disaster didn’t become a human tragedy.

Eruptions start powerful and tend to calm down within the first hours or days after they begin, so Grindavík may be spared this go round. However, we’re looking at centuries of volcanic activity on the peninsula before all goes quiet again. Icelandic folks will have to remain nimble to live around the fires that keep rising in their midst.

You can watch the eruption unfold on RÚV’s livestreams:

Also, geologist Shawn Willsey had a livestream going with a lot of information in the early hours; it’s definitely worth checking out.

In the coming days, I’ll explain why volcanic seismicity calming is frequently a bad sign, and of course provide more photos and videos of the eruption. Most content will be available to patrons first, so if you want early access and exclusive content, this is an excellent time to support me on Patreon.

Further information and updates about the eruption are available on the following sites:

RÚV Liveblog

Icelandic Met Office

Volcano Discovery

Almannavarnadeild ríkislögreglustjóra (Public Safety Department of the National Police)

Eldfjalla- og náttúruvárhópur Suðurlands (Southland’s volcano and natural hazard group)

 

Featured image credit: Almannavarnadeild ríkislögreglustjóra.

Gangi þér vel, Grindavík.

Rosetta Stones and Dana Hunter’s Unconformity wouldn’t be possible without you! If you like my content, there are many ways to show your support.

This website is a member of the Amazon Affiliates program. I get a small commission when you use my affiliate link to make a purchase.

Thank you so much for your support!