Breaking news from Iceland
For the fourth time in only three years we are able to send out the message “the volcano just started again”. The newspaper Morgunblaðið just wrote the following: “An eruption has begun on the Reykjanes Peninsula, the fourth in three years. The fire broke out north of Grindavík, near Hagafell and the Sundhnúka crater series.”
What’s happening at Camper Iceland
At the moment, we do not have any customers traveling around Iceland. That is normal for this time of the year. We do have several customers on “alert list” that want to go to Iceland as soon as the volcano starts. The eruptions have always been an attraction. “I have often wondered why we humans run towards eruptions and not away from them”, was the first thing that came into our minds when the eruption started in 2009 that made Iceland even more famous than it was. The name Eyjafjallajökull went viral and everyone in the world tried to say the name.
We are excited as usual and hope that we can keep you informed. Please inform yourself before running to the active volcano. The Icelanders have many and good information on the web. Eruptions are quite common for us but each time is a bit different, and it’s always exciting.
The Name Sundhnúkagíga
As usual, we Icelanders use names that no one but us can pronounce. The eruption started at Sundhnúkagíga (sund = pool or swimming, hnúkur = hump, gígur = crater). The mountain is called Sundhnúkur and is located near Grindavík.
The Aiport is open
Keflavík Airport is in operation and the volcanic eruption that started tonight should not affect air traffic tomorrow. This is confirmed by Guðjón Helgason, Isavia’s information officer.
Air traffic was banned over the eruption centers and the surrounding area when the eruption erupted at eleven o’clock this evening. There was then a circle with a radius of 60 nautical miles around the eruption centers when the eruption began.
According to Guðjón, the flight ban could be lifted as soon as there was an ash forecast from the Icelandic Meteorological Office. It happened earlier this evening and two planes, which were on standby due to the eruption, have landed on the field.
More Technical information about the eruption
The fissure that opened at the Sundhnúka crater series is now about two kilometers from Grindavík and is growing rapidly. It is not excluded that it will continue to expand to the southwest, but scientists do not know exactly what the progress will be in the next few hours.
This is what Benedikt Gunnar Ófeigsson, head of deformation measurements at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, says in an interview with mbl.is.
“At least it [the crack] is still on its way. There is no telling now when it will stop lengthening,” says Benedikt.
Lava is currently flowing to the north and east, but according to Benedikts, it has not started to flow to the south. However, the situation is changing rapidly.
Came up in the middle of the earthquake
The crack is at least four times longer than it was in the eruption at Litla-Hrút in July.
Benedikt says that this is a much more powerful start than in previous volcanic eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula in recent years.
“The fact that the eruption occurs under the strong earthquake indicates that there is a lot of tension in the area, it never subsided before.” It indicates that there is a lot of pressure in the area,” says Benedikt.
Tremors were recorded for about an hour and a half before an eruption was confirmed.
He says it’s hard to measure lava flow right now, but it’s estimated at 100 to 200 cubic meters per second.