Volcano erupts in Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula for seventh time in a year

Iceland’s meteorological office that monitors seismic activity said the eruption occurred at 11:14 p.m. on November 20, 2024, creating a fissure around 3 km long

A volcano erupted with lava spewing from a fissure on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland on Wednesday evening (November 20, 2024.) It was its seventh eruption since December.

Iceland’s meteorological office that monitors seismic activity said the Wednesday’s (November 20, 2024) eruption occurred at 11:14 p.m. creating a fissure around 3 km (1.8 miles) long, but estimated that the eruption is considerably smaller than the previous eruption in August.

While the eruption poses no threat to aviation, authorities are warning of gas across parts of the peninsula, including the nearby town of Grindavik.

The repeated volcanic eruptions close to Grindavík, a town of 3,800 people about 50 km (30 miles) southwest of the capital, Reykjavik, have damaged infrastructure and property and forced many residents to relocate to guarantee their safety. Authorities say the town is not threatened further by this latest eruption.

Published - November 21, 2024 12:24 pm IST