GRINDAVIK, Iceland – A volcano north of the seaside town of Grindavík in Iceland erupted Monday evening after relentless earthquakes shook the region for weeks, prompting the town’s evacuation and closure of the popular tourist destination Blue Lagoon.
The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said the eruption began just after 10 p.m. local time, about an hour after an earthquake shook the region.
“An eruption has begun near the evacuated town of Grindavík. Our priorities remain to protect lives and infrastructure,” the President of Iceland Gudni Th. Johannesson said. “Civil Defence has closed off the affected area. We now wait to see what the forces of nature have in store. We are prepared and remain vigilant.”
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The IMO said the eruption was located close to Sundhnúkagígar, about 2.5 miles northeast of Grindavík, and videos from the ground and from the air showed lava shooting high into the air.
The eruptive volcanic fissure was estimated to be about 2.5 miles long, with the northern end located just east of Stóra-Skógfell and the southern end located just east of Sundhnúk. The IMO said the distance from the southern end to the edge of Grindavík was about 1.8 miles.
So far, lava has not been flowing toward the town of Grindavík.
Dramatic drone video taken above the eruption shows lava shooting into the sky as well as oozing from under the Earth’s surface and spreading out in all directions.
The IMO said on Tuesday morning the intensity of the eruption has been decreasing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the eruption is coming to an end and could mean the eruption is reaching a state of equilibrium.
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Flights into and out of Iceland do not appear to be affected by the eruption, with Icelandair officials saying operations were continuing as normal at Keflavik Airport.
“The safety of our passengers and staff is always our number one priority and at the heart of every decision we make,” the airline said in a statement. “We’re monitoring the situation closely and will inform our passengers of any new developments.”
One airline passenger arriving in Iceland on Monday night was able to capture spectacular video of the eruption near Grindavik from the air.
The video shows the flight descending into the airport, and in the distance, lava can be seen shooting high into the air.
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The Icelandic Coast Guard shared a video of a helicopter getting a better view of the eruption from the air.
According to a Facebook post, the Icelandic Coast Guard flew over the eruption with scientists from the country’s Department of Public Defense, the Icelandic Meteorological Office and the University of Iceland.
The Icelandic Coast Guard said in the Facebook post that scientists were hoping to get a better idea of the magnitude of the eruption from the air.
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Grindavík was evacuated on Nov. 10, but a decision to let residents return to gather belongings left behind was made two days later. At that time, residents in an eastern district of Grindavík returned to gather what they could, including pets, and then retreat back to safety.
More residents in a different district were then allowed to return on the morning of Nov. 13 before all residents were told they could go back later that day.
Strict rules were in place, however.
For instance, only one person per household was allowed back inside Grindavík, and only if they were accompanied by a first responder.
They were also given only about 5 minutes to gather what they could before they were told to leave.
Residents who were unable to return on those days were given another opportunity on Nov. 14, but that was short-lived as gas meters in the area began to detect an increased level of sulfur dioxide, leading officials to quickly evacuate the area.
The popular tourist destination Blue Lagoon also closed its operations in early November because of fears of the volcanic eruption.
According to Iceland’s national public service broadcaster RÚV, no one was at Blue Lagoon when the eruption started Monday night and everyone had already left the area.
Blue Lagoon said on its website that the area will remain closed until at least December 27, at which point the situation will be reassessed.
Guests who had reservations during that time will be contacted about the situation.