- Title: TIMELINE: Iceland sees string of volcanic eruptions in the last four months
- Date: 19th March 2024
- Summary: Drone footage captured on January 17 showed the lava field left behind after a volcano eruption in Iceland over the weekend. NEAR GRINDAVIK, ICELAND (FILE - JANUARY 17, 2024) (REUTERS) (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF LAVA FIELD LEFT AFTER VOLCANO ERUPTION DRONE SHOT OF HOUSE DESTROYED BY LAVA DRONE SHOT OF LAVA FIELD AND TOWN IN BACKGROUND A resident of Grindavik said on January 17 it had been "devastating" to watch the latest eruption close to her hometown in southwestern Iceland and that the town's inhabitants were living in uncertainty. Kristin Maria Birgisdottir, 43, has been living in Reykjavik since she was evacuated in November and said she and her neighbours are wondering if they will ever get to go back home. REYKJAVIK, ICELAND (FILE - JANUARY 17, 2024) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) RESIDENT OF GRINDAVIK WHO WAS EVACUATED, KRISTIN MARIA BIRGISDOTTIR, SAYING: "There is a huge uncertainty when we will go back, because the area is really dangerous at the moment. And they just published a risk map, and it's a really high risk of danger inside the town. So that's one of the biggest questions we have. When do we go back? Can we go back, will we ever go back?" Snow could be seen on January 19 around a lava field from a recent volcanic eruption in Iceland. NEAR GRINDAVIK, ICELAND (FILE - JANUARY 19, 2024)(REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SNOW COVERING THE AREA WHERE THE ERUPTION TOOK PLACE VIEW OF GRINDAVIK WITH A COAST GUARD VESSEL MOORED OFF THE COAST
- Embargoed: 2nd April 2024 15:01
- Keywords: Eruption Grindavik Iceland Lava Natural disaster Reykjavik Volcano
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: Iceland
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Europe,Earthquakes/Volcanoes/Tsunami
- Reuters ID: LVA00B901919032024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS FOOTAGE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula has seen a string of volcanic eruptions since 2021 when geological systems dormant for around 800 years became active again.
Experts say the region, just south of the capital Reykjavik and home to 30,000 people, could experience so-called fissure eruptions repeatedly for several centuries.
The latest eruption took place between the Hagafell and Stora-Skogfell peaks on March 16, 2024, in the same area as the last one the previous month, with smoke, molten rock and bright orange lava spewing from an estimated 3 km (2 mile) fissure.
Residents from the nearby fishing town of Grindavik who had returned from the previous evacuation left again immediately. The Blue Lagoon luxury geothermal spa again shut its doors.
Eruption on February 8, 2024, lasted roughly a day, with lava spewing 80 meters (260 feet) high from a 3 km crack.
Lava flows damaged pipelines after which hot water supply used to warm homes was cut off during freezing winter temperatures. The Blue Lagoon closed after lava covered a road.
A two-day eruption happened on January 14, 2023, and the lava flow reached the outskirts of Grindavik, home to nearly 4,000 inhabitants, setting three houses alight.
An eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system near Grindavik on December 18, 2023, sent lava and smoke across a wide area after weeks of intense earthquake activity. A roughly 4 km (2.5 mile) long crack in the ground stretched towards Grindavik.
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