Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula Experiences a Fresh Eruption

Just 11 months after the previous eruption in the Geldingadalur valley near Fagradalsfjall mountain on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula, two new fissures, each measuring 100 meters in length, opened up and emitted lava.

Scientists had predicted this eruption after detecting over 12,000 earthquakes through the Icelandic National Seismograph Network. Similar earthquake swarms had preceded the eruptions in 2021 and 2022.

The Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption since the 13th century, when a volcano erupted for 30 years. In March 2021, following several weeks of seismic activity and more than 50,000 earthquakes, a fissure opened up and released lava. This was followed by additional eruptions in September 2021 and August 2022. The eruption in August 2022 produced a new 300-meter-long fissure, resulting in lava fountains reaching heights of 20 to 30 meters, visible from the capital city Reykjavik.

Due to the eruptions occurring in an uninhabited valley just 30 kilometers southwest of Reykjavik, hundreds of thousands of people visited the area to witness and photograph the spectacular lava fountains. Some tourists even cooked food using the hot rocks from the volcano.

The latest fissure eruption is happening a few kilometers northeast of the previous ones, following the Fagradalsfjall fissure zone. This zone consists of parallel faults and a 5-kilometer thick magmatic dike. Chemical analysis has revealed that the magma in this reservoir originates directly from melting mantle rocks, which are located approximately 17 to 20 kilometers beneath the surface. The resulting rock is silica-undersaturated basalt.

Iceland’s volcanoes primarily erupt with lava fountains and flows, with explosions being rare occurrences. This is because the basaltic lava has low viscosity, allowing volcanic gases to escape without causing explosive disintegration. Initially, the most gas-rich part of the underground magma reservoir erupts, leading to the formation of the largest lava fountains on the surface. Volcanic activity typically decreases after this initial phase.

For more information on Iceland’s volcanoes, you can refer to the book Iceland: Tectonics, Volcanics, and Glacial Features.

Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.