Iceland experiences fourth volcanic eruption since last October on the Reykjanes Peninsula and probably the strongest, according to the Meteorological Office of this Nordic country (IMO, in English) and geophysicists. The eruption began on Saturday at night in the Sundhnjúkagígar crater, north of the evacuated city of Grindavík, and a 2.9 kilometer-long fissure quickly formed, similar to the one on February 8.

The alert period was very short, since the first warning reached the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management at 18:43 GMT and the eruption was confirmed only 40 minutes later, the IMO has pointed out.

“From initial assessments of webcam images and aerial photographs from the helicopter flight, the eruption is believed to be the largest (in terms of magma discharge) of the three previous fissure eruptions of the crater rows Sundhnúkur”, at least in its first hour of eruptive activity on Saturday, the IMO added.

The geophysicist Magnús Tumi Guðmundsson has also explained to the RÚV television channel that It is the most powerful eruption of the current system. Less than two hours after the start of the eruption the lava front in the south was only 200 meters from the eastern barriers of Grindavík and was moving at a speed of approximately 1 kilometer per hour.

700 people evacuated

Ten minutes later the lava was between 700 and 800 meters from Grindavíkurvegur, northwest of Grindavík, and was moving at a pace of approximately 1 kilometer in 1.5 hours, according to the IMO. About 700 people who were in the tourist Laguna Azúl were quickly evacuated, a senior police official, Bjarney Annelsdóttir, told RÚV.

Already at dawn the Icelandic Meteorological Office has indicated that the lava continued towards the south and southeast with a speed of 1 kilometer per hour. The fissure had extended to about 3.9 kilometers, the geophysicist told RÚV.

“If the eruption continues at the same rate, “The scenario of lava reaching the ocean must be considered,” has emphasized. Five hours after the eruption, “activity was pretty constant along the entire fissure,” she added.