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The first signs that an eruption could be about to erupt came on February 24 when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the area. The researchers interpreted this to mean that the lava was about to find its way up. Several of the earthquakes have been around 5, which is strong.
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But the center of what It would be an outbreak that has moved in recent weeks.
– At first, seismologists thought the eruption would occur further to the southwest, but then it slowed down and approached Grindavik and headed northeast, says Björn Lund, a seismologist with the Department of Earth Sciences at Uppsala University .
Residents of the communities closest to the outbreak have been asked to stay indoors.
According to Björn Lund, it is magma that is now penetrating from the ground. Images from the eruption show how hot lava lights up the clouds over Geldingadalur and the first aerial images show two tongues of lava rising from the ground.
What happens now?
– Now we can expect a crack to open a few hundred meters to several kilometers where the lava penetrates, perhaps in the form of lava fountains or more focused on one place. We can be pretty sure that it has formed a long passage from southwest to northeast that is filled with lava that now wants to rise, says Björn Lund.
Are there any risks to people in the area?
– There should probably be no problems for people in the short term. I don’t think the lava reaches the south coast highway.
The Icelandic Meteorological Agency writes that there is now a warning for flights in the area and all air traffic to and from Keflavik has stopped. The eruption takes place south of the international airport.
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