A volcano near Iceland’s capital has erupted for the seventh time in a year, spewing fountains of lava and smoke, the country’s meteorological office said.
The eruption began at 11:14 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Service. It did not affect air travel schedules. On the order of the agency for the protection of the population were evacuated residents of fifty houses, as well as guests of the resort Blaua Lounid (Blue Lagoon), local media reported. The current rock fracture with lava eruption is considered by scientists to be less intense than the last eruption in August.
The volcano is near the town of Grindavik, which used to be home to about 3,800 people. Frequent eruptions that have damaged the town’s infrastructure have caused many residents to flee the town in recent months.
There were no volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula from the eighth century until 2021. Then they started happening again – in remote, unpopulated areas. Volcanologists suggest that this process may be the beginning of a new era of volcanic activity in the region.
