A volcano on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula erupted again on Wednesday, spewing lava and smoke in what officials say is the twelfth eruption in the region since 2021.
The eruption prompted fresh evacuations from the nearby town of Grindavík, a luxury hotel, and the popular Blue Lagoon spa, Icelandic authorities said.
Jördís Guðmundsdóttir, communications director for civil protection, says that police were driving around town checking on people staying in houses.
"There are quite a few people there," she said, according to The Mirror, adding that she didn't have an exact number of people staying in the town.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said magma pushed through the earth’s crust, opening a fissure estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 metres long.
The eruption sent glowing lava and columns of smoke into the air, with dramatic footage showing orange flows lighting up the dark volcanic landscape.
The outbreaks, known as fissure eruptions, are characterised by lava flows emerging from long cracks in the earth's crust, rather than from a central crater.
“(It does) not threaten any infrastructure at this time,” the IMO said in a statement. “Based on GPS measurements and deformation signals, it is likely that this was a relatively small eruption.”
Despite the low immediate risk, authorities moved swiftly to evacuate areas near the site. According to Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV, guests were relocated from the Blue Lagoon resort and residents were cleared from Grindavík.
Clouds of gas were heading towards nearby communities in Vogar and Reykjanesbær, Sandgerði and Garð, local media reported. Residents have been asked to close windows and monitor the air quality.
The town, once home to nearly 4,000 people, was evacuated in 2023 and has remained largely deserted ever since, due to repeated volcanic activity and earthquake threats.
Flights at Keflavík airport, about 20km away, were not affected, and no major disruption to air traffic was reported.
The eruption is the latest in a growing sequence of volcanic events on the Reykjanes Peninsula, which began when dormant systems were reactivated in 2021 after centuries of silence. Experts warn the region could now face periodic eruptions for decades or even centuries.
“This is part of a new volcanic cycle,” the IMO has previously said, referring to the Reykjanes system, where magma often emerges through long surface fissures rather than traditional crater eruptions.
While past eruptions in the region have not ejected large volumes of ash into the stratosphere, the frequent lava flows and associated tremors continue to pose risks to infrastructure, geothermal plants, and communities in southwest Iceland.
Earthquake swarm strikes Mt Rainier in Washington state
France, UK and Germany would restore UN sanctions on Iran next month without progress on a deal
Ukraine war: Trump tells Zelensky not to ‘target Moscow’ after discussing strikes
Why Trump’s 50-day ultimatum for Russia won’t mean quick gains against Ukraine
How Melania Trump emerged as one of Zelensky’s key allies in the White House
