What you want to know after the volcanic eruption

No. When asked by Watson, Zurich Airport said:

Experts reassure: unlike the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, the current eruptions have “only a small amount of ash production,” Dave McGarvie, a volcanologist at the University of Lancaster, told Merkur. In general, the volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula are “incapable of producing the massive ash clouds that characterized the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption.”

The Icelandic government also announced that air traffic to and from Iceland was not affected. Keflavik Airport is still within easy reach.

The city was evacuated for some time in November as the earth continued to shake. An underground rift was filled with magma, temporarily rising to 500 meters below the Earth’s surface, tearing apart entire streets and destroying house walls in Grindavik.

It seems that the situation for the population is relatively safe so far: the lava is currently not flowing towards the houses, but in the opposite direction to the east and north. However, it could become problematic if the Earth’s rift were to open further south. Not far from the volcano there is a power plant that supplies the entire Reykjanesskagi peninsula with electricity and water.

Grindavik Mayor Fannar Jonasson told radio station RUV that the city’s evacuated residents were doing well under the circumstances. Fortunately, the craters closest to Grindavik are extinct. There is currently no major danger to the site, Jonasson said. Still, many residents are disappointed that they cannot celebrate Christmas at home.

The eruption at Grindavik does not exactly match the general idea of ​​a volcanic eruption: a huge crater from which lava flows. On the contrary, north of the small Icelandic fishing village lies a kilometre-long volcanic gorge from which high lava fountains bubble up in some places. In other places, the spectacle – seen from the air – resembles a glowing red river delta.

The volcanic eruption near Grindavik has now subsided, geoscientist Magnus Tumi Gudmundsson told broadcaster RUV on Tuesday morning. However, a significant amount of lava continues to flow. Gudmundsson said on television that just a few hours after the eruption north of Grindavik began, about twice as much lava had escaped as during the most recent volcanic eruption in the summer of this year.

No, you shouldn’t do that. Hjördis Gudmundsdottir of the Icelandic Civil Protection Authority called on Icelanders and tourists to stay away from the volcanic area during the current eruption. She said on Icelandic television that she could understand why people wanted to see the natural spectacle. The volcano is large and very active compared to the last eruption. Police warned on Facebook about toxic gases that could escape into the volcanic area.

The tourist attraction was closed for weeks due to the threat of a volcanic eruption. It reopened last weekend, but is now closed again due to the outbreak.

It may take about a week or even up to ten days. But the intensity decreased after just a few hours.

However, in the past they sometimes took longer. For example, in 2021 there was volcanic activity in the region for six months, although not at the current magnitude. There was also a three-week eruption in 2022.

According to researchers from the University of Iceland, the eruption will cause serious air pollution if its current intensity continues. But according to the weather report, the north or northwest wind announced for the coming days will drive the ash cloud away from inhabited areas.

(rbu/sda/dpa/watson.de)