eruption
“Black day for Iceland” – lava reaches Grindavík
The lava from the eruption of the volcano in Iceland. photo
© Uncredited/Icelandic Civil Protection/AP/dpa
The earth in southwest Iceland does not rest. Another volcanic eruption has reached the town of Grindavík and caused serious damage there. The state and government are making the seriousness of the situation clear.
“Today is a black day for Grindavík and today is a black day for all of Iceland. But the sun will rise again,” said Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir at a civil defense press briefing in the evening, according to the Icelandic radio station RÚV. “Together we will overcome this shock and whatever may come.” Civil protection chief Vídir Reynisson said that the events would be remembered for a long time and that we were probably only seeing the beginning of a chain of such events.
President Jóhannesson: “We will not give up”
Iceland’s President Gudni Th. Jóhannesson called on his compatriots in an evening speech to the nation to stand by and support the residents of Grindavík. “We Icelanders are doing this together. We will not give up,” he was quoted as saying by RÚV.
The 4,000-inhabitant town of Grindavík had already been evacuated when another series of earthquakes was announced on the Reykjanes Peninsula southwest of Reykjavik. Then the eruption finally began when lava first bubbled out of an elongated fissure in the earth a few hundred meters north of Grindavík.
Just a few hours later, a veritable sea of lava had formed in the area, glowing glowing red in the dawn. The weather authority Vedurstofa announced in the evening that the crack in the earth was around 900 meters long.
Lava sets houses on fire
This lava was already threateningly close to Grindavík. In the midday hours, however, the earth opened up in another place – namely in a 100 meter long crack directly on the northern outskirts of the town. From there, the lava moved down the valley before setting fire to or burying at least three houses. Since the place had been evacuated, there was no danger to human life – but there was a danger to the belongings of the affected residents.
Grindavík is located around 40 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik. The place had already been affected by the last eruption in mid-December – although not by the lava, but by several earthquakes that had announced the eruption. The quakes caused deep cracks in roads and other damage. This time too, the weather authority had recorded an intense series of earthquakes before the eruption.
Constant uncertainty – earth cannot calm down
The last time an eruption occurred in the area was in the late evening of December 18th, when lava bubbled out of a fissure in the earth that was initially several kilometers long. However, the eruption significantly decreased in intensity within a few days. Before Christmas, liquid lava was no longer visible on the earth’s surface. The residents of Grindavík were ultimately able to spend the holidays in their own four walls – but with constant uncertainty because the earth beneath them had not calmed down.