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A volcano erupted with little notice in southern Iceland on Saturday night, the latest in a string of eruptions in the area, threatening local infrastructure and leading the authorities to declare a state of emergency. Lava fountains burst out of the ground, and a nearly two-mile-long fissure opened up on the Reykjanes Peninsula around 8:30 p.m., the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The meteorological office said that it had received indications of a possible eruption only about 40 minutes before it happened. The Blue Lagoon and Grindavik were evacuated shortly after the eruption, according to RUV, the national broadcaster. About 700 visitors were staying at the Blue Lagoon.

Persons: Grindavik Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Iceland, Grindavik

☆ Iceland volcano erupts, prompting Blue Lagoon evacuation, says public broadcaster
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Mariya Knight | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Iceland’s world-famous Blue Lagoon and the nearby town of Grindavik are under evacuation following a volcanic eruption in the country’s Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland’s public broadcaster RÚV reported Saturday. Located just under an hour’s drive from Iceland’s capital and largest city Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon is one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. The site is part of southwest Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula — a thick finger of land pointing west into the North Atlantic Ocean from Reykjavik. As well as the Blue Lagoon, the peninsula is home to Iceland’s main airport, Keflavik International. Rather than having a central volcano, the Reykjanes Peninsula is dominated by a rift valley, with lava fields and cones.

Persons: CNN —, RÚV Organizations: CNN, Icelandic Met, Keflavik International Locations: Grindavik, Grindavík, Stóra, Hagafell, Reykjavik, Iceland

LONDON (AP) — A volcanic eruption in southwestern Iceland appears to have subsided, though scientists are warning that the area may experience further eruptions in the coming months. Iceland’s Meteorological Office said late Thursday that the eruption had decreased significantly. The eruption began at about 6 a.m. local time on Thursday in the area northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, the Met Office said. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said authorities hope to restore hot water to the area by midday on Friday, national broadcaster RUV reported. The eruption site is about 4 kilometers (2½ miles) northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on Dec. 18.

Persons: Mount Sýlingarfell, Katrin Jakobsdottir, Benedikt, RUV, ’ Organizations: Iceland’s, Office, Met Office, RUV, Icelandic Met Office, “ Locations: Iceland, Mount, Grindavik

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday, less than two months after a previous eruption in the area forced the evacuation of the coastal town of Grindavik. The eruption began about 6 a.m. local time, sending lava into the air along a 3-kilometer-long (1.9-mile-long) fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. This is the third eruption since December of a volcanic system on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which is home to Keflavik, Iceland’s main airport. The volcano eventually erupted on Dec. 18, sending lava flowing away from Grindavik. A second eruption that began on Jan. 14 sent lava towards the town.

Persons: Mount Sundhnukur, RUV Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Coast Guard, Met, Keflavik Locations: GRINDAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, Mount, Iceland’s, Europe, Iceland's, Reykjavik, Sýlingarfell

☆ Icelandic Volcano Calms Down but Risk Remains
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Live video footage on Tuesday morning no longer showed signs of molten rock erupting from the ground, even as experts warned that new fissures could emerge at short notice. Grindavik resident Hrannar Jon Emilsson watched his almost-finished house burn down on live TV after the volcano erupted on Sunday. "You sit and watch the news showing everything go up in smoke," Emilsson told Icelandic independent broadcaster Channel 2. It was the second eruption on the peninsula of Reykjanes in four weeks, and the fifth since 2021. The Icelandic Civil Defence, the IMO and other experts are due to meet later on Tuesday to discuss the situation.

Persons: Hrannar Jon Emilsson, Emilsson, Gerhard Mey, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Tom Little, Terje Solsvik, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Channel, Icelandic Meteorological, Icelandic Civil Defence Locations: REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Grindavik, Reykjanes, Reykjavik, Copenhagen

☆ Lava Engulfs Homes in Icelandic Town After Second Eruption
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lava flowed into the Icelandic town of Grindavík on Sunday after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month. Thousands of residents were evacuated, according to the Associated Press. Photo: LIVEFROMICELAND.IS/APA second powerful volcanic eruption sent lava surging through an Icelandic town, engulfing houses and leaving them in flames. Lava flows from the eruption, which started at around 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, breached the barriers protecting the town of Grindavík, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Monday.

Organizations: Associated Press, Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Grindavík

☆ Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Sends Lava Gushing Toward Homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lava flowed into the Icelandic town of Grindavík on Sunday after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month. Thousands of residents were evacuated, according to the Associated Press. Photo: LIVEFROMICELAND.IS/APA second powerful volcanic eruption sent lava surging through an Icelandic town, engulfing houses and leaving them in flames. Lava flows from the eruption, which started at around 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, breached the barriers protecting the town of Grindavík on Monday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.

Organizations: Associated Press, Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Grindavík

☆ Lava From Volcanic Eruption Reaches Icelandic Town
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lava flowed into the Icelandic town of Grindavik on Sunday after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month. Thousands of residents were evacuated, according to the Associated Press. Photo: LIVEFROMICELAND.IS/APA second powerful volcanic eruption sent lava surging through an Icelandic town, engulfing houses and leaving them in flames. Lava flows from the eruption, which started at around 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, breached the barriers protecting the town of Grindavík on Monday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.

Organizations: Associated Press, Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Grindavik, Grindavík

LONDON (AP) — A volcano erupted in southwestern Iceland Sunday for the second time in less than a month, sending semi-molten rock toward a nearby settlement. The eruption just before 8 a.m. came after a swarm of earthquakes near the town of Grindavik, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. “Right now, a new fissure opened south of the first fissure from this morning,'' Iceland's Met office said in a statement. But the walls of the barriers built north of Grindavik have been breached and lava is on the move toward the community, the meteorological office said. “This continues to surprise us,” Benedikt Ófeigsson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office told Iceland’s RUV television.

Persons: ” Benedikt Ófeigsson, Iceland’s, isn't, Gudjon Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, Keflavík Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, community's, “, Sýlingarfell, ” Iceland, Europe, Reykjavik

☆ Hundreds of earthquakes cause volcano to erupt on the outskirts of an Icelandic fishing town
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Hundreds of earthquakes opened a fissure sending lava flowing toward the town of Grindavík. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAn Icelandic volcano erupted in the early hours of Sunday morning, billowing smoke and sending flowing lava toward a small fishing town. A new volcanic eruption began in the early morning just north of Grindavík. People watch the billowing smoke during the volcanic eruption north of the Icelandic town of Grindavik.

Persons: —, Guðni Jóhannesson, @RuvEnglish, 9mlOiMohC4, SERGEI GAPON, Leosson Organizations: Service, Icelandic Met, Coast Locations: Grindavík, Iceland, Reykjavik, Grindavik

A volcano in Iceland erupted on Sunday after hundreds of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes peninsula, prompting evacuations in a town near where a fissure opened up and spewed lava last month. The eruption happened at about 8 a.m. local time near Sundhnjúkar north of the town of Grindavik, according to local news media and the nation’s civil defense agency. At least 200 earthquakes struck the area near Grindavik, 32 miles southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, on Sunday starting at about 3 a.m. local time, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Before the eruption, the civil defense agency ordered the evacuation of Grindavik and said an eruption was imminent. The latest eruption happened along a row of volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where a fissure opened up in December and erupted, creating a glowing and winding river of lava.

Persons: Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson Organizations: Coast Guard, Icelandic Meteorological Locations: Iceland, Sundhnjúkar, Grindavik, Reykjavik

CNN —Iceland’s National Commissioner of Police has ordered residents in the fishing town of Grindavík, first evacuated in November, to evacuate again by Monday night after volcanic fissures opened on roads in the area. The town is also home to Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon, which draws tourists to its steaming geothermal water and is one of the country’s most visited attractions. The amount of magma had reached a level similar to when a previous eruption occurred in December, the agency said. But in the case of the latest eruption, magma could “migrate further south” – as compared to the previous eruption – and possibly reach Grindavík town. As such, the country is accustomed to volcanic eruptions, though they often occur in the wilderness, away from populated areas.

Persons: CNN — Organizations: CNN, CNN — Iceland’s, Police, Civil Protection Agency, “, Icelandic Meteorological, North Locations: Grindavík, Iceland’s, Reykjavík, Blue, –, Iceland, North America, Eurasia

☆ Opinion: Iceland’s magnificent nature comes with a monster
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Opinion Catharine Fulton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Hikers are silhouetted against rivers of lava flowing from a volcanic eruption between Iceland's Myrdalsjokull and Eyjafjallajokull glaciers in March, 2010. Residents have been evacuated amid an imminent volcanic eruption. • Join us on Twitter and FacebookThe monster had burrowed a 15-kilometre lava tunnel that stretched beneath the town. Not since the Westman Islands awoke to an eruption in their backyard in 1973 has an entire town been evacuated. Now everyone waits and watches and wonders if residents of Grindavík will ever go back home.

Persons: Catharine Fulton, Read, Reykjavík, Reykjavík CNN —, NordicPhotos, there’s, Micah Garen Organizations: Reykjavík CNN, Geographic, Red, Icelandic Meteorological, CNN, Twitter Locations: Canadian, Reykjavik, Reykjavík, Iceland, Fimmvörðuháls, balaclava, Toronto, Grindavík, Grindavik

☆ Fact Check: Video of volcano eruption in Iceland is not from November 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A video showing the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland dates back to March 2021 and does not show new eruptions forecast in November 2023 for the southwest of the country. Users have shared the clip with captions such as: “BREAKING NEWS | #Iceland #volcano Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland is erupting violently. The circulating video shows the eruption of Fagradalsfjall in March 2021. The earliest example found by Reuters was posted on YouTube (archived) on March 22, 2021 by the channel @TravellerInTheWholeWorld, with a caption that says it shows the eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano on March 19, 2021. The video dates back to 2021 and does not show a volcanic eruption in November 2023.

Persons: Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, Authorities, Reuters, YouTube, Icelandic Meteorological, Thomson Locations: Iceland, Grindavik, Fagradalsfjall

☆ Iceland Is in a Holding Pattern as It Awaits a Volcanic Eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Claire Moses | More About Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A holding patternIf and when a volcanic eruption may happen is unclear and hard to predict. A nine-mile-long underground river of magma is moving under Grindavik, the evacuated town, and out to the ocean. This week, officials said that the intensity of the seismic activity had decreased a bit, but they have continued to warn of a possible eruption. As of Friday, the website of the Icelandic Met Office, the country’s weather service, continued to warn that there was a “significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the coming days,” as it has done for multiple days. Last Saturday, officials evacuated the more than 3,000 residents of Grindavik, a small fishing town about 30 miles south of Reykjavik.

Persons: ” Mr, Viglundsson, “ Organizations: Icelandic Met Office Locations: Grindavik, Reykjavik

☆ Iceland shields geothermal plant from risk of volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Streetworks continue, after cracks emerged on a road due to volcanic activity near Grindavik, Iceland obtained by Reuters on November 14, 2023. Iceland's Justice Minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir told state broadcaster RUV that a large dike has been designed to protect the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over six kilometers from Grindavik. A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, told Reuters that the plant supplies power to the entire country although a disruption would not impact power supply to the capital Reykjavik. Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said in a statement. As of late Monday evening, the volcanic hazard assessment in and around Grindavik was unchanged from Sunday.

Persons: Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir, Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Johannes Gotfredsen, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Christina Fincher Organizations: Reuters, Administration, Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Iceland's, RUV, HS, Icelandic Meteorological Office, Thomson Locations: Grindavik, Iceland, Reykjavik, Icelandic

☆ A Volcano May Erupt in Iceland. Here’s What to Know for Now.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Claire Moses | More About Claire Moses | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Iceland is bracing for a possible volcanic eruption. Since late October, tens of thousands of earthquakes have been reported in the Reykjanes Peninsula, in the southwestern part of the country. At one point there were as many as 1,400 in a single 24-hour period. On Tuesday, the Icelandic Met Office, the country’s weather service, warned that there was a “significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the coming days.”The increased seismic activity and the formation of a nine-mile underground river of magma have led the authorities in recent days to declare a state of emergency and to evacuate the small fishing town of Grindavik, where more than 3,000 people live.

Organizations: Icelandic Met Office Locations: Iceland, Grindavik

☆ Risk of volcanic eruption in Iceland remains high
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

COPENHAGEN, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Seismic activity in southwestern Iceland decreased in size and intensity on Monday, but the risk of a volcanic eruption remained significant, authorities said, after earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground in recent weeks. Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor in vulcanology at the University of Iceland, said most recent data indicated a smaller risk of an eruption in the area around the town of Grindavik. [1/5]A view of cracks, emerged on a road due to volcanic activity, near Grindavik, Iceland November 13, 2023. Volcanic activity in the area continued for six months that year, prompting thousands of Icelanders and tourists to visit the scene. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.

Persons: Matthew James Roberts, Thorvaldur Thordarson, Grindavik, Hans Vera, Vera, It's, Louise Rasmussen, Tom Little, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Johannes Birkebaek, Ilze, Essi, Alex Richardson Organizations: Icelandic Meteorological, University of, Administration, Facebook, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Iceland, Reykjavik, vulcanology, University of Iceland, Grindavik, Belgian, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki

☆ A volcano in Iceland could erupt in hours devastating a nearby town, say experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Iceland has declared a state of emergency due to a high risk of a volcanic eruption. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementA town in Iceland, home to 4,000 people, could be devastated by an imminent volcanic eruption, experts said. Since late October, the Reykjanes peninsula has experienced a staggering 24,000 tremors. After being dormant for several centuries, there have been three eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021.

Persons: Grindavik, —, specter, Iceland — Organizations: Service, Emergency Management, Icelandic Met, Department of Civil, Department, Fire Locations: Iceland, soutwest Iceland, Reykjavik, Reykjanes, Grindavik, Sundhnjukagigar, Europe

☆ Iceland evacuates town over concerns of volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lava spurts and flows after the eruption of a volcano in the Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, July 12, 2023, as seen in this handout picture taken from a Coast Guard helicopter. Civil Protection of Iceland/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Icelandic authorities have completed the evacuation of 3,000 residents of a town in the southwest of the island over concerns of a volcanic eruption after a series of earthquakes and evidence of magma spreading underground. The chance of an eruption has increased significantly," Thorvaldur Thordarson, professor of volcanology at the University of Iceland, told state broadcaster RUV. Reykjanes is a volcanic and seismic hot spot southwest of the capital Reykjavik. In August 2022, a three-week eruption happened in the same area, followed by another in July of this year.

Persons: Thordarson, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Louise Rasmussen, David Holmes, Christina Fincher Organizations: Coast Guard, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Icelandic Meteorological, University of Iceland, RUV, Civil Protection Agency, Thomson Locations: Iceland, Handout, Grindavik, Reykjavik, Copenhagen

☆ Iceland declares state of emergency, evacuates over threat of volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Teele Rebane | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iceland has declared a state of emergency, with police officials urging residents to evacuate the coastal town of Grindavík following an intense wave of earthquakes in the southwest of the country linked to a possible volcanic eruption. In statements Friday, Iceland’s Civil Protection Agency said a magma tunnel that is forming could reach Grindavík. Its progress is being closely monitored,” the Civil Protection Agency said. But we also want to reiterate that this is not an emergency evacuation, there is plenty of time to prepare, secure things and drive out of town calmly,” the Civil Protection Agency said. We faced that together, we will face this together and we will not lose heart,” the Civil Protection Agency added.

Organizations: CNN, Iceland, Icelandic Meteorological, Civil Protection Agency, North Locations: Grindavík, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland, Iceland’s, Reykjavik, North America, Eurasia

☆ Iceland issues state of emergency and closes world-famous Blue Lagoon over fears of a volcanic eruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Iceland has declared a state of emergency due to a high risk of a volcanic eruption. Iceland has seen increased eruptions since 2021, a possible sign of a new era of volcanic activity. Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest on the culture & business of sustainability — delivered weekly to your inbox. "The likelihood of a volcanic eruption occurring in the near future is deemed considerable," it adds. As a result of the emergency, the Blue Lagoon, one of Iceland's most popular tourist attractions, which is close to Grindavík, was closed as a precaution.

Persons: Ingibjorg Lilja Omarsdottir Organizations: Service, Icelandic Met, Civil Protection Agency, Geographic, Icelandic Civil Protection Agency, BBC Locations: Iceland, Grindavík, Sundhnjúkagígum, Europe

☆ Iceland’s Blue Lagoon closed as 1,000 earthquakes hit in 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the world-famous Blue Lagoon geothermal pool has closed for a week because of the current seismic activity around the site. The site is part of southwest Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula – a thick finger of land pointing west into the North Atlantic Ocean from capital Reykjavik. As well as the Blue Lagoon, the peninsula is also home to Iceland’s main airport, Keflavik International. According to the Icelandic Met Office, around 1,400 earthquakes were measured in the 24 hours leading up to around midday on Thursday November 9, with another 800 in the first 14 hours of Friday. CNN has contacted the Icelandic Met Office and the Icelandic Civil Protection Agency for comment.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Thursday’s, Sergio Pitamitz, Þuríður Aradóttir Braun, RÚV Organizations: CNN, Keflavik International, Icelandic Met Office, Met Office, Magma, Icelandic Met, BBC, Icelandic Civil Protection Agency, Icelandic National Broadcasting Service Locations: Iceland, Reykjavik, Eldvörp, Þorbjörn, Sýlingarfell, Reykjanes, Fagradalsfjall, Peninsula, Mount Þorbjörn, Grindavik

HUSAVIK, Iceland (AP) — The Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — closed temporarily as a swarm of earthquakes put the island nation’s most populated region on alert for a possible volcanic eruption. “People thought a volcanic eruption was about to happen.”The area around Mount Thorbjorn on the Reykjanes Peninsula has been shaken by hundreds of small earthquakes every day for more than two weeks due to a buildup of volcanic magma some 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) underground. The Reykjanes Peninsula on Iceland’s southwestern coast is includes a volcanic system that has erupted three times since 2021, after being dormant for 800 years. At Grindavík, a fishing town of 3,400 people, residents have experienced a series of seismic episodes since the Reykjanes Peninsula began to rumble three years ago. Retired beautician Hildur Gunnarsdóttir, 68, said she spent the night cruising around in her Volkswagen Passat to “get a break from feeling the earthquakes.”Gunnarsdottir tracks seismic activity on a phone app called My Earthquake Alerts.

Persons: Bjarni Stefansson, ” Stefansson, “, Thorvaldur Thordarson, Helga Arnadottir, Hildur, ” Organizations: —, Associated Press, “, Icelandic Met, Met Office, AP, Volkswagen Passat Locations: HUSAVIK, Iceland, Mount Thorbjorn, Thorbjorn, ” Iceland, Europe, Grindavík

☆ Iceland: Volcano erupts in Litli-Hrútur after weeks of earthquakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A volcanic eruption south of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik is sending plumes of smoke across a region known for its sweeping lava fields, volcanoes and geothermal activity. Streams of lava near Litli Hrutur, Iceland, on July 10, 2023. Observers from the University of Iceland watch a volcanic eruption near Litli Hrutur, Iceland on July 10, 2023. Authorities are working to restore access to the volcano once the pollution dies down, it added. Several days ago, the management office warned hikers in the region to be careful, noting that the recent seismic activity looked similar to the lead-up to another volcanic eruption last year.

Persons: Kristinn Magnusson Organizations: CNN, Icelandic Meteorological, country’s Keflavik Airport, Observers, University of Iceland, Getty Locations: Iceland’s, Reykjavik, Iceland’s Reykjanes, Hrutur, Iceland, Litli Hrutur

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